The Broken Circle
by Glavin69
Summary: An AU story where Qui-Gon survives and trains Anakin. All the while a dark Obi-Wan seeks redemtion. Better than it sounds. Chap 16 up! please R&R.
1. The Circle Begins

THE BROKEN CIRCLE  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. They all belong to Mr. Lucas or some division of Lucas books. The literary events in this piece are completely fictional, any resemblance to any event or any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All literary characters in this piece are trained professionals anything they do should not be attempted. All celebrity voices are imitated. The views of this piece in no way reflect the views of Lucasfilm LTD or Bantine books or any other living human on earth for that matter, including the author. It is the author's opinion that he is now covered in the case that some one had the desire to sue him, however in case someone finds something offensive or illegal that the author has not covered in this disclaimer the author would like to relay this message to them: The author is a nobody, you will get nothing from him, he doesn't even own the computer that he used to post this. The author is not worth your time, he is just a loser who writes fan fiction to escape the pathetacisim of his life. Furthermore, it is the author's opinion that it will be a cold day in Hell before anyone would enjoy, review or even read this. That Having been said, enjoy! P.S. The author would like to deeply apologize to any one without a sense of humor for having wasted a piece of their life by making them read the above disclaimer. Said disclaimer was seventy percent humorous and that was probably lost on some of you.  
  
CHAPTER 1: THE CIRCLE BEGINS  
  
"Anakin Skywalker, meet Xanatos." Qui-Gon Jinn said breathlessly, sitting on the floor of the ship. "You're a Jedi too?!... Pleased to meet you." The young boy responded. Qui-Gon remembered it like it was yesterday. Perhaps because it was yesterday. It was a momentous occasion, the two most promising young men he'd ever known had met for the first time. Well, two of the three most promising young men he'd ever known met yesterday. Qui-Gon hoped that the most promising would never meet the second. For Anakin's sake, Qui-Gon hoped they'd never run into Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi- Wan had been very promising, perhaps that's why it seemed so disappointing when he turned to the dark side. But Qui-Gon couldn't think of that now, he needed to concentrate on the moment, on the here and the now.  
  
Courascant was fast approaching; but the journey had taken longer than anticipated. Qui-Gon felt foolish, he should have expected a shifty character like Watto to sell him a sluggish hyperdrive. Soon they'd be home, soon he could present Anakin to the council, soon he'd have a new padawan. "Panaka says we're close," Qui-Gon recognized the voice of Xanatos coming up behind him, "but what would he know. he's not the navigator. Sometimes I think he just talks to make himself seem more important than he actually is." "We're close.I can feel it." Qui-Gon assured him. "I'm sorry I haven't been more of a help on this mission." "You've been plenty of help Xanatos, I'm glad you insisted on coming along. It was nice to get the opportunity to work with you not as my Padawan and student but as a Jedi Knight, and my equal." "I can only hope to one day equal you, master." Xanatos' compliment was sincere. "How is Anakin?" Qui-Gon changed the subject to seem modest. "It's been a few hours since I checked on him last. He kept complaining about being cold. I told him he'd better get used to many changes." Xanatos now began to pace. "Do you really think the council will accept him master? He is rather old ."  
  
Qui-Gon stood and looked his companion in the eyes. "Age shouldn't matter when the force is concerned. Anakin is the chosen one. The council will see this." Xanatos looked at his old master doubtfully. "Are you sure? You and the council have never exactly seen eye to eye. I mean, they tried to warn you about Obi-Wan." "Anakin will be nothing like Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon said, cutting Xanatos off in a slightly raised voice. "I didn't mean to imply that. I meant that just because you see something a certain way, it doesn't mean everyone will see it that way. No matter how strongly you feel about it." Qui-Gon's eyes brightened as he saw the very wide man his old padawan had become. "You have become very wise, Xanatos. I foresee a bright future for you." The two exchanged a look of respect which was broken as they began to feel the ship slowing, indicating that they were about to enter a planet's atmosphere. "We have arrived." Qui-Gon smiled. "Home sweet home." Xanatos mused as the two got ready to depart. Some how, they both knew the mission was far from over. 


	2. The Prison Break

CHAPTER 2: THE PRISON BREAK  
  
He opened his eyes, but the room was so dark, it didn't make much of a difference. His eyes strained, trying to find the smallest glimpse of light that he could. He stumbled in the dark to the other side of the room and turned on the lights. The dull florescent bulb, filled the tiny room of stone walls with a dim glow. Obi-Wan hated this place. His room was cold, dark and small. Even though he was free to come and go as he pleased, he felt as though it were a prison. He felt trapped. It was similar to his anger, he thought. Although, he knew he could control it, he felt like it's prisoner.  
  
The morning was a bitter cold as Obi-Wan dressed. He could complain about his quarters but he knew the response he'd get: "It's the Jedi's fault you are made to suffer. They are the reason we must hide away in the seedy bowels of this city. The Jedi are responsible for your pain. They are allowed to roam free across the galaxy and live lavishly in their ornate temple. Your suffering will end when they are dead and their temple is in flames." Obi-Wan had heard the Dark Lord utter those words or ones like it several times. Oddly enough, he'd never seen the Dark Lord's face. "Only a Sith Lord may look upon me. Kill a thousand Jedi and you may see my face." Obi-Wan wondered if he were the only one who had a problem serving this man blindly, not knowing who he really was.  
  
Once he had dressed, Obi-Wan headed dome the main corridor and into the main dining lounge. Only insect-infested bread and stale tea awaited him. It was a fairly typical meal here. He made the best of it and picked around the insects and choked down the tea which was more than likely a few days old. "You don't need a lavish Jedi spread! Let hate fill your belly and anger power your muscles." More "wisdom" of the Dark Lord poured through his head. He looked around the room trying to get his mind on something else. At the other end of his table, he noticed a young girl with long red hair, playing with a doll she obviously made herself out of rags. "You have a beautiful doll." Obi-Wan said to her. "Thank you." The girl said with a bit of a smile. She was obviously surprised to have some one give her a kind word and it also seemed as if she weren't sure how to respond to kindness. "Does she have a name?" Obi-Wan asked trying to assure her that it was okay to be courteous. "Mara Jade." The girl said after a moment of hesitation. "That's a beautiful name." Obi-Wan said "Perhaps if you have a real daughter one day, you could name her Mara Jade."  
  
The girl said nothing instead a look of dread and sorrow crossed her face and she seemed to be looking past Obi-Wan. "I'm sure Mara will make a fine servant for the Dark Lord." Obi-Wan heard a voice speak those words behind him. He didn't need to turn to know who it was. "Hello Maul, welcome back." Obi-Wan said with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. "Can I have a word with you, Kenobi?" Maul said to him. "Fine," Obi-Wan said, getting up from the table and now displaying complete annoyance in his voice. He followed Maul down the main corridor and into the comm. room. This is usually where they received transmissions from the Dark Lord, but Obi-Wan was sure they were here because it was quiet and private. "What are you doing back?" Obi-Wan began the conversation, "I thought you were supposed to be tracking a ship." He teased, sensing that Maul had let it escape. "I ran into some problems." Maul said with frustration in his voice. "Those problems didn't happen to carry lightsabers did they?" Obi-Wan continued his onslaught. Maul was usually so pompous, that Obi-Wan loved the opportunity to bring him down a peg or two.  
  
"I'm not in the mood for you to be a smart-ass." Maul snapped. "We have business to take care of." At those words, Obi-Wan's mood changed instantly. "It's about time. I'm tired of just sitting here all the time." "You'd better be mindful of your feelings. The reason you haven't been on a mission in a while is because The Master senses a change in you. I sense it too. We feel like too much of the light is still in you. Make sure your feelings on the Jedi are clear." "They are clear." Obi-Wan said with confidence though in his mind he wasn't clear on his feelings. It was so long ago and he felt guilt eat away at him for holding a grudge over something so trivial. Maul, however was either convinced of Ob-Wan's feelings or he just didn't care because his mood changed enough to allow a menacing grin to escape his lips. "The time has come, brother. The time has come to make the Jedi pay." Maul said patting Obi-Wan on the shoulder. "There is a Jedi Master known as Sypho-Dias whom The Master sometimes poses as for certain errands. Sypho-Dias is becoming a bit suspicious of our Master's activities. You must kill him." Maul said with a hint of pleasure in his voice.  
  
"What about you?" Obi-Wan mused. "I thought you wanted to be the one to kill Jedi." "I'll get my chance." Maul said with a delighted sneer. "The Master has informed me that Queen Amidala is returning to Naboo. I'm heading there to meet her Jedi escorts head on. I will make that Qui-Gon Jinn pay for making a fool of me. I'll taste his blood, I'll watch the light drain from his eyes, I'll." Maul probably would have continued at great length about the impending demise of the Jedi Master had it not been for Obi-Wan's interruption. "Qui-Gon Jinn?!..." He said with a start. "Let me go." Maul gave him a steady look and then chuckled to himself. "I thought you might want to. After all, it was the great Qui-Gon Jinn that made it possible for you to stay with the Jedi heathens for as long as you did. I thought you might want to be the one to kill him." "Yes." Obi-Wan said flatly in order to not seem to anxious. "Jinn is mine." Maul said in a commanding tone. "The Naboo mission is too important to send a mere assassin, besides it's personal for me too. He's the reason I failed and I don't like failing." Obi-Wan felt like laughing. If only Maul realized how lame that sounded. Instead he remained silent when he saw the look of intensity on Maul's face. "You can have Sypho-Dias or nothing." Maul said as if negotiating. "It doesn't matter to me. If you don't want the mission I can give it to the old man." "Let Dooku have it, I don't want it" Obi-Wan said. "Alright I'll let him know." Maul said turning to leave. "I'm sure he'll jump at the opportunity." "Let me go with you." Obi-Wan blurted out, stopping Maul with only his words. Maul merely looked over his shoulder, said: "You know I work alone," and walked out the door.  
  
Obi-Wan let out a sigh of frustration as the door closed behind Maul. The truth was the only one who had believed in him. He had to stop Maul from killing him. Perhaps he could convince Qui-Gon to join the darkside. It was worth a shot. He had to try. He had to do something, but first and foremost: he had to stop Maul. 


	3. Masters and Missions

CHAPTER 3: MASTERS AND MISSIONS  
  
"The Force is strong with him." Ki Adi Mundi confessed, despite the fact he knew saying this would only fuel Qui-Gon's frustration at their decision. "He is to be trained, then?" Qui-Gon said with hope and surprise in his voice. "No. he will not be trained." Mace Windu said flatly. "No!?" Qui-Gon blurted out, trying to contain his anger. "He is the chosen one. you must see it."  
  
"He is too old." Mace said, not changing his almost smug, yet subtle tone. "Masters." Xanatos began to plead his case. He seemed to have picked up his former Master's habit of not knowing when to keep his mouth shut. "I took the boy's counts myself... You'd be foolish not to let Qui-Gon train him." "When want your opinion, we do, ask for it we will, Xanatos." Yoda declared. And with those few words, Xanatos seemed to be put back in his place. "Danger I fear in this boys training." Yoda added.  
  
"You fear danger in my training him! Is that it?" Qui-Gon himself could hardly believe his own outburst. "Make this personal, you should not Qui-Gon." Yoda advised with a rare sternness in his voice. "Trust you we do. About your abilities we are not discussing." "I'm sorry." Qui-Gon said with a renewed calmness in his voice. "I've been looking for a new padawan, and I see no reason why it should not be Anakin."  
  
Mace looked at the boy whom they were talking so much of. He stood a few inches in front of Qui-Gon who seemed to tower in front of him. Anakin's eyes were wide and Mace could sense an unease in him. "Now is not the time for this. The Senate is electing a new Chancellor and Queen Amidala is returning home." Mace said, changing the subject to try and avoid another heated discussion in front of the boy. "Young Skywalker's fate will be decided later." Yoda added, picking up on Mace's motive.  
  
"Qui-Gon, you will escort the Queen back to her home planet." Mace said as if it were a command rather than a request. "Somehow, I get the feeling we will be hard pressed to keep you from joining him again, Xanatos." Ki Adi Mundi added with a sigh. "I started this mission, and I'm going to finish it." Xanatos said with a youthful, determination. "Very well, then may the Force be with you." Mace said with a sigh as if he was glad to be done talking to them. The three gave a respectful bow and exited the council room.  
  
Darth Maul headed down the main corridor of the Sith Temple. He was heading toward the living quarters. He knocked on one of the various, unmarked doors. Moments later, a man with grayish-white hair and a neatly- trimmed beard of the same color answered.  
  
"What news from the Master, Lord Maul?" The man asked. "There is a Jedi master known as Sypho-Dias." Maul began to explain. "Yes, I know him. He and I had training classes together long ago. What of him?" The man interrupted. "Kill him." Maul said simply.  
  
"And what of the body? How shall I dispose of it?" The graying gentleman asked. "When you have finished the job, bring the body to me on Naboo. We will figure out what to do with his body, along with the other Jedi bodies I will have collected, at that time." Maul said with a bit of delight at the thought of slaughtered Jedi.  
  
"It will be done." The man responded. "Your loyalty will be rewarded Dooku." Maul said with pride in his eyes. Dooku simply nodded and shut the door.  
  
Maul then headed down the hall, toward the hanger to get into his ship. A few meters from the door to the hanger, he felt a warning from the Darkside: someone was following him. He kept up his pace hoping to entice whomever it was to keep following. Quickly he turned, expecting to see his assailant. Instead he saw an empty hallway.  
  
Perhaps the Darkside of the Force was merely warning him of something yet to come. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Or perhaps, for the first time in his life, someone was one step ahead of him.  
  
Out on a landing platform, somewhere on Coorascant, everyone seemed so busy. So much was swimming through Anakin's head that he hardly even noticed them, nor the incredible sights of the big city. Nor had he heard anything the Queen had said to Qui-Gon other than: "We welcome your help, Master Jedi," which she said to him before turning to board the ship.  
  
"Master, I don't want to be a problem." Anakin blurted out. His Mother always told him to talk about what bothered him. "Too late." Xanatos said with a chuckle. In response, Qui-Gon shot him a look which instantly wiped the smile form his face. "Sorry." Xanatos said in a serious tone and then the Jedi Knight headed for the ship as well.  
  
"You won't be Ani." Qui-Gon told him. "Always remember: your focus determines your reality."  
  
Anakin wasn't quite sure what that meant, yet somehow it made him feel better. He watched as the Jedi Master headed for the ship. He wasn't sure how Qui-Gon had done it, but he made Anakin feel like he belonged. A smile broke over his face as he noticed Qui-Gon motioning to him to follow. Anakin had never had a father. He wasn't sure what it was like to have one, but he imagined it was a lot like this. 


	4. Duel of the Fates

CHAPTER 4: DUEL OF THE FATES  
  
"Anakin, stay where you are." Qui-Gon ordered. "But I." The boy began to protest. "Stay in that cockpit." Qui-Gon reiterated.  
  
The Queen's entourage headed toward the hanger doors. The plan was to head straight to the throne room, through the hall which lead along the side of the main generator room. No one in their party had activated the door release, yet right in front of their eyes, the doors flung open. To everyone's surprise, there in the hallway was the cloaked being who had attacked Qui-Gon on Tatooine. The man in black stared at them coldly.  
  
"We'll handle this." Qui-Gon said. "We'll take the long way around." The Queen said, very relieved. The mere sight of the dark-figure, sent chills up her spine. She and her servants fled in a hurry. Qui-Gon, Xanatos and the Sith assailant all disrobed and ignited their lightsabers; Qui-Gon and Xanatos each with a flash of green and the Sith with a flash of red from each end.  
  
With a no more than a challenging glance, the Sith had begun the battle without making a move. Xanatos struck first. The boy had always been too eager, even by Qui-Gon's standards. The Sith was outnumbered two to one, but the Jedi were surprised at how seemingly easy it was for him to defend.  
  
They worked him back into the hallway. In the distance, they could hear the sound of blaster fire. The Queen had obviously run into some trouble. Qui-Gon wished he could protect her but he figured that it was better for her to protect herself against a few droids than against a Sith Lord.  
  
Nevertheless, the battle raged on. The Jedi had begun to lead their foe back toward the Power Generator Core Room. Or was he leading them? One could certainly make the argument that the Sith was in control if they were to see how he confidently flung a piece of shattered droid carcass to activate the Core Room doors.  
  
The Jedi were gaining ground however, and at one point trapped their enemy on the edge of a catwalk in the Core Room. The Sith struggled to keep his balance and then seemingly with ease, he did a back-flip onto another platform several meters away. It would have been an impossible jump for anyone else but for two Jedi, the leap was nearly effortless.  
  
The Jedi knew that their foe could not hold off two attackers for much longer. It became apparent that he knew this too when his foot met Xanatos' face, sending the young Jedi to a much lower platform. The attempt to separate the two had worked. And as the Sith looked over his shoulder to make sure the younger Jedi would be out of his way for a while, Qui-Gon caught him of guard.  
  
Qui-Gon's fist met the Sith Lord's face which caused the Sith to fall to another catwalk below. This catwalk had not been quite as low as the one Xanatos had fallen to, in fact it was only a few meters below. Qui-Gon leapt down to try and catch the Sith off guard. It almost worked. The Sith was still on his back when Qui-Gon landed next to him, but a kick to Qui-Gon's gut gave the Sith the opportunity to find his feet once more.  
  
The Jedi Master, attacked with fury, leading the Sith all the way down the catwalk. Qui-Gon knew that with each step he and Xanatos grew further and further apart, but he noticed that the fall had dazed the Sith Lord. Qui- Gon noticed his opponent had lost a step or two and was not as graceful or fluid in his motions. Qui-Gon could not let up. He could not allow the Sith Lord time to recover.  
  
Qui- Gon then sensed that Xanatos had leapt onto the same catwalk he and the enemy were on and had begun to chase after them. Qui-Gon could feel the sentiments that Xanatos was sending, through the force: Qui-Gon, wait! Wait for me! Together we are stronger. Qui-Gon in turn tried to send Xanatos his reasoning, but he could sense that the boy was too wound up to receive his message. The Sith Lord let a sinister grin pass over his lips. Qui-Gon wondered if perhaps he had sensed what Qui-Gon was thinking. Perhaps the Sith had figured out his strategy.  
  
The Jedi Master and the Sith Lord battled all the way down the catwalk and into the service corridor, with Xanatos in hot pursuit. Inside the service corridor, Qui-Gon noticed the laser-walls beginning to activate. He kept tight on the Sith Lord, however, and was barely able to stop himself from running into one of these laser-walls. He stopped short of it however and the Sith was on the other side  
  
Qui-Gon looked back at Xanatos, his former apprentice had been stranded at the very end of the hall. Qui-Gon could sense his frustration and anxiety. Xanatos was young yet, he would learn patience in time. Qui-Gon dropped to his knees to meditate. His objective had failed, the Sith could now easily recoup, but not all was lost. He could still hold off their foe until Xanatos was able to rejoin the fight.  
  
Qui-Gon quieted his mind. His worries left him. The antagonist pacing only a few inches away, seemed to disappear. Qui-Gon was at one with the force. To him, the force was not some mystical thing, but a close friend whom he only needed to ask to obtain it's aid. Qui-Gon called upon his friend, yet again.  
  
When the laser-walls deactivated, Qui-Gon sprang to his feet, his lightsaber already ignited. The Sith met his challenge and the two continued their battle, this time on the edge of the melting pit. Xanatos ran as fast as he could to try and catch up, only to be stopped just short by the final laser-wall. He could only wait, helplessly.  
  
The Sith was now on the offensive. His onslaught continued. He was meticulous in his defense and even more so in his attacks. The two fighters were evenly matched, this contest was one not of skill, or strength, or speed, but of wills. Both knew that the first to make a mistake would be destroyed. Both were flawless, meeting the others every move with one equally grand of their own.  
  
Then, it happened. Qui-Gon made a slip. A simple mistake was all it was. Thinking that the Sith was going to strike at his back, he raised his lightsaber over his head to cover his back. Instead, the Sith knocked Qui- Gon in the face with the hilt of his lightsaber, leaving Qui-Gon momentarily stunned.  
  
It was at that moment that the Sith made what he believed would be his kill- shot. He thrusted one of his blades forward, toward the Jedi's midsection. He expected to run the Jedi through. Instead, his attack was blocked, not by the Jedi but by a third person who had been in the room the entire time and had gone unnoticed.  
  
The third person wielded a red-bladed lightsaber and was adorned in a cloak. The hood of his cloak covered too much of his face to be made out. Qui-Gon shot up, no longer dazed from the strike. He backed off, a bit surprised about the arrival of the third warrior. He couldn't begin to imagine who it would be. But the Sith obviously knew him because he blurted out: "You!.... I should have known." 


	5. Deja Vu

CHAPTER 5: DÉJÀ VU  
  
Darth Maul stared back at his two opponents. They could see the anger burning in his eyes. Qui-Gon raised his lightsaber in anticipation of a strike. The mysterious stranger did the same. Qui-Gon was curious who this person was and whether or not they were on his side. They had saved his life, so it was obvious they wanted him alive. But for what reason. The stranger stood between Qui-Gon and his Sith assailant, with his back to Qui-Gon. It was apparent that the stranger considered Qui-Gon as no threat.  
  
Instead of raising his lightsaber, Darth Maul raised his arm. Using his gifts of the darkside, Maul called to an object from Qui-Gon's belt. Qui-Gon reached down to try and catch it, but it was too late. The object was already in the Sith's grasp. In one fluid motion the Sith deactivated his lightsaber and flipped over his opponents heads, right into the melting pit. Qui-Gon rushed to the edge of the pit to watch the Sith fall. He could hear the sounds of the Sith's clothes rustling as they caught the wind.  
  
The Sith then activated the device he had stolen: Qui-Gon's liquid cable launcher. The cable caught hold of one of the various metal rungs along the pits' walls, he then swung to the side and disappeared through what Qui-Gon figured must be a vent in the pit's wall.  
  
Qui-Gon turned to the mysterious stranger who was deactivating his lightsaber. "Why did you save me?" Qui-Gon asked, frankly. "Just returning the favor." The stranger answered in gruff, yet aesthetically pleasing voice.  
  
Qui-Gon was still a bit confused. He'd helped so many beings, (often despite being asked not to), that the answer still left him in the dark. It could be anybody. But before Qui-Gon had a chance to continue his questioning, the stranger removed his hood and revealed his face.  
  
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon exclaimed with an audible gasp. He then looked to Xanatos, who was still stranded behind the laser-wall. The Jedi Knight's eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped. Qui-Gon could not believe his eyes. The young boy he once knew was now grown. He looked awful. He had long hair, the whispers of a beard and a large scar across his left cheek, but it was Obi-Wan, no mistake.  
  
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stood staring at each other for a few moments, taking one another in. Then Obi-Wan smiled. "You haven't changed a." he began and then disappeared out of Qui-Gon's eye line.  
  
Shocked, Qui-Gon looked down to see Xanatos wrestling on the ground with Obi-Wan. He slapped a pair of wrist binders on Obi-Wan and held his lightsaber to Obi-Wan's throat. "Don't move." Xanatos said, reaching for Obi-Wan's lightsaber.  
  
Once Xanatos had Obi-Wan's lightsaber, seemingly minimizing the threat, he turned to face Qui-Gon. "Keep an eye on him." Xanatos said, clipping Obi-Wan's lightsaber to his belt. Qui-Gon merely nodded. He knew he should be taking charge but he was in such a state of shock, he just decided to let Xanatos take the lead.  
  
Without another word, Xanatos leapt into the melting pit, activated his own liquid cable launcher and lowered himself to the length the Sith had left his swinging at. Xanatos then pulled himself into the vent to pursue the Sith.  
  
Obi-Wan sat up. He looked up at Qui-Gon. The way the Jedi Master towered over him, it reminded him of when he was a child at the Jedi Temple, looking up at the large man. "You're pretty handy with a lightsaber." Qui-Gon said. Seconds after the words left his mouth it hit him. Qui-Gon realized those were the same words he had spoken to Obi-Wan the first time they met after one of Obi-Wan's training sessions at the temple.  
  
History had repeated itself. For one reason or another, the force had brought Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan back together again. It was rare that the force gave someone a second chance. I must seize this opportunity. Qui- Gon thought. He would correct the mistakes he had made. He would help Obi- Wan correct his own mistakes, as well. This time, things would be right. 


	6. A Watery Grave

CHAPTER 6: A WATEREY GRAVE  
  
About mid-way through the vent, at about the time he had been sliding down the vent for about a minute and a half, Xanatos realized that his pursuit of the Sith Lord might be a bad idea. When the vent ended and shot him into the middle of a river, he was sure it was a bad idea. The river current was strong. Xanatos had to struggle to get to the bank.  
  
He took a moment to catch his breath and then looked to the opposite bank. He saw the Sith he had been chasing, who was just as drenched as he was, talking to a man in a black cloak. A large, dark object lay at their feet. The Sith and the cloaked man were already staring at him. Xanatos was sure his splash attracted their attention.  
  
"Ready the ship," Maul spoke to the man next to him but kept his gaze squarely on Xanatos. "I'll take care of pretty-boy."  
  
"What about this?" The man asked, indicating the large object at their feet.  
  
"Leave it; it will distract them." The Sith said.  
  
The man nodded then disappeared into the nearby woods. The Sith began to wade in the river. Xanatos went out into the river to meet him but stopped when the water reached his midsection. He didn't want to go too deeply and he figured he could gain the advantage if the Sith were somewhat fatigued by the time he reached him.  
  
Darth Maul had one side of his lightsaber ignited and raised above his head by the time he could hold his chin above water. The water was up to his armpits when he first took a swing at Xanatos.  
  
Xanatos blocked and held his ground. He didn't want to move much. The footing on this river bottom was almost impossible. Xanatos also wanted to keep the Sith at a disadvantage by keeping him deeper in the water.  
  
The Sith did not allow himself to be at a disadvantage for long. With each swing he took at Xanatos, Darth Maul took a half step to his left to try and level himself with his opponent.  
  
Finally the two opponents were both waist-deep. Xanatos noticed that it was not only difficult to find footing but also it was nearly impossible to do anything which involved the lower half of his body.  
  
Fighting merely with his upper body seemed so primitive to Xanatos. It reminded him of his training-probe days at the Temple. The two opponents fought with great intensity to compensate for their lack of mobility.  
  
All of the Sith's moves were fairly predictable. Xanatos figured this was because of the lack of possibilities in such a condition. But then, the Sith did something Xanatos did not expect: after swiping at Xanatos' head only to be blocked, the Sith then ignited the other side of his lightsaber and swung at his head from the opposite direction.  
  
Xanatos had to fall backward, submersing himself in water in order to avoid decapitation. Upon submersion, his lightsaber shorted out. He had been told ever since he was able to pick up a lightsaber: if your blade is submersed, it will short out; yet still, he made the mistake.  
  
Still, it was better to be without a lightsaber than without a head. Xanatos put his breathing device in his mouth and began to swim away from the Sith. He knew if he were to put any part of his body above the surface, the Sith would slice it off.  
  
When he felt he had put enough distance between them, Xanatos headed for the shore. The Sith was already on land, waiting to charge him. Xanatos stood and the Sith Lord ran straight at him, ready to cut the defenseless Jedi in half.  
  
Darth Maul swung at Xanatos, who in one motion, rolled out of the way of the attack, ignited the red bladed lightsaber that was on his belt and slashed at Darth Maul's leg.  
  
A cry of pain escaped the Sith's mouth through gritted teeth. And in the moment Maul was stunned from the cut, Xanatos sprang out of his roll and kicked the stunned Sith right in the face.  
  
An unconscious Darth Maul fell back into the water and began to float down the river. Xanatos tried to wade out and detain the Sith for questioning, but the current was too fast and the Sith was gone. Xanatos never saw him again.  
  
Then the curious Jedi Knight swam across to the other side. He headed for the object that the Sith and his friend had left behind. As he got closer, Xanatos suddenly realized what it was. It was a body, wrapped in black cloth.  
  
He headed over to the body and uncovered the head. He recognized the face. It was Jedi master Sypho-Dias.  
  
He would have to contact the council immediately. It was customary for a Jedi's funeral to be held on the planet they died on. The force was everywhere, so there was no point in transporting them back to Courascant.  
  
Soon, most of the members of the council, not to mention several other Jedi, would be on Naboo to pay their respects. Xanatos wondered how they'd respond to he and Qui-Gon's fight with the Sith. More importantly he wondered how they'd respond to Obi-Wan. 


	7. The Past Revealed

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for all the reviews guys! Keep them coming. I'm glad to know most of you are enjoying it so far and I also appreciate the criticism. It makes me a better writer.  
  
I hope this chapter answers some questions and clears things up. You may have noticed it took me a while to get this one. I had some trouble and am still not 100% satisfied with it. Anyway, I hope it's at least readable.  
  
CHAPTER 7: THE PAST REVEALED  
  
"I've got a bad feeling about this." A nervous Xanatos said as he paced the floor of a Naboo hanger. He still held Obi-Wan's lightsaber, the one he confiscated at the edge of the melting pit, the one he used to injure the Sith.  
  
"I don't sense anything." A contrastly calm Qui-Gon said, Anakin by his side.  
  
"It's not something I sense. It's what I anticipate." Xanatos explained. "I don't believe the council will take the news well."  
  
"Which news?" Qui-Gon said, his calm tone making him seem oblivious.  
  
"The news that we can confirm the existence of the Sith." Xanatos said with frustration in his voice. Remaining calm in these situations was one thing, but playing dumb to make yourself seem more calm than you were?. It always frustrated Xanatos when his master did this.  
  
"Oh, that news." Qui-Gon said with fake surprise in his voice.  
  
"Yes, that news. Of course there's also the news about Obi-Wan and how the boy we thought was dead, was actually working for the Sith lord."  
  
"No one thought he was dead. it was only presumed by a few." Qui-Gon reminded. "Why do you think that the council will not take this well? They know all too well that any one of us is capable of turning to the Darkside."  
  
"You're right," Xanatos confessed, "I guess I'm just not taking it well."  
  
Anakin looked between the two Jedi. He noted the fear in Xanatos' eyes. Jedi were not supposed to be afraid. In Anakin's short whirlwind of experience with Jedi Knights, he had only seen them as pillars of strength. They had all been so rigid and regal. Seeing Xanatos afraid made Anakin see him not as less of a Jedi, but as more of a human being.  
  
Yoda told Anakin that fear led to the Darkside, but what if the thing a Jedi feared was the Darkside. It was quite a paradox to think about. Could one's fear of the Darkside, make one turn to it? Anakin didn't fear the Darkside. Even after the few brief encounters with the Sith, he didn't fear it. In fact it almost fascinated him.  
  
"Relax Xanatos," Qui-Gon's words jolted Anakin out of his thought, "If your nerves are calm, it will help the council to be calm as well."  
  
Xanatos took a deep breath and nodded. Anakin was amazed at how he instantly composed himself. "What do you think they'll do with Obi-Wan?" The now calm Jedi asked.  
  
"Question him, most likely." Qui-Gon said, mater-of-factly.  
  
"Well, yes. But after that?" Xanatos rolled his eyes. His master was still tip-toeing around the issue.  
  
"I'm not sure. You can ask as soon as they arrive." Qui-Gon said gazing out the hanger bay and out into the sky as if he expected them to arrive at that moment. "I'll wager that the council will deal with him when the time comes. The council is very wise. They are in tune with the here and the now."  
  
"Qui-Gon, sir?" Anakin who had been silent up to this point, spoke up. "Who is Obi-Wan?"  
  
Qui-Gon and Xanatos shot one another a concerned look. It made Anakin nervous that there was a great deal of hesitation to their answer.  
  
"Well," Qui-Gon said after a long pause, "I'm not going to lie to you, Anakin."  
  
"Good, I'd hope you wouldn't." Anakin said after another long pause, he was trying to get Qui-Gon to spit it out.  
  
"Obi-Wan Kenobi was a student at the temple several years ago. He was one of the most promising students I had ever seen. Much to my dismay, he was going to have to leave the temple for a future in agriculture."  
  
"Agriculture?!" Anakin exclaimed with a bit of a smirk. The last place he'd expect to look for someone with the force was on a farm. Just the thought of a Jedi Knight, or someone who had the potential to be one, anywhere near a moisture vaporator was laughable to Anakin.  
  
"Yes," Qui-Gon continued, "You see, Anakin, when a temple student turns thirteen years old, if they have not been selected by a Jedi master to be a padawan learner, they are relocated to an occupation where their skills can be used."  
  
"I know several students who lead happy lives this way. Not everyone who has the force is meant to be a Jedi Knight." Xanatos chimed in.  
  
"True, however the force was telling me that Obi-Wan was meant to be a Jedi. I felt so strongly about it that I convinced a dear friend of mine, Jedi Master Tahl, to take Obi-Wan as her padawan. I would have taken him myself but I had Xanatos." Qui-Gon explained.  
  
"And you can't have two?" Anakin asked, still trying to figure out all the minute rules the Jedi seemed to have.  
  
"Somehow, I don't think the council would approve of a team of three Jedi." Xanatos said with a chuckle.  
  
Anakin was a bit embarrassed that such an obvious answer was oblivious to him. He spoke quickly to take the focus off his ignorance: "So what happened with his Master, Tahl?"  
  
"Well, Tahl had a bad habit of leaving him behind when she went on missions. She was always a bit of a loner, I think the only reason she took a padawan at all was because of my pestering. Well, Obi-Wan didn't take it well when he was left behind. Many times he'd sneak out of the temple and try to follow her."  
  
"Not very Jedi-like." Anakin scoffed.  
  
"Indeed, he should have stayed out of trouble as his master had instructed him." Xanatos said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.  
  
Anakin's face turned red, he realized Xanatos' comment was actually meant to scold him for his joy-ride in the starfighter during yesterday's battle.  
  
"Xanatos and I were sent to rescue Tahl once." Qui-Gon continued, simply ignoring the snide comments made by both. "It was a system called Melida/Daan. Melida/Daan was a war-torn planet, where the Melida and the Daan fought one another for many generations. Tahl was sent to try and negotiate peace."  
  
"And Obi-Wan followed." Xanatos added.  
  
"What happened?" Anakin asked, his curiosity had not lessened.  
  
"When Xanatos and I arrived, we found Tahl fairly quickly. She was already dead, lying in the street, along with nearly a thousand of the Melida. A battle had taken place. A battle for her liberation. The Melida had apparently taken her hostage. Tahl was killed in the battle."  
  
"What happened to Obi-Wan?!" Anakin blurted out. Common sense tells you not to yell at a Jedi Knight, but Anakin was tired of only hearing half the story.  
  
Qui-Gon looked down at the ground and closed his eyes, it was as if he didn't have the heart to say the rest.  
  
"We didn't have much time to look for him." Xanatos continued the story, sensing his Master's unease, "We had to get Tahl's body back to Coorascant. The council didn't want her funeral on a war-torn planet. We found a survivor of the battle, an old man, who was only injured. We asked if he had seen anyone matching Obi-Wan's description, he had. He said that a boy like that was leading the Young."  
  
"The Young?" Anakin wondered.  
  
"A third group on Melida/Daan," Qui-Gon chimed in. "They were committed to bringing peace to the planet. We figured that it must have been Obi-Wan the man spoke of. A Jedi would instinctively look for a way to restore peace."  
  
"Sure," Xanatos scoffed, "Obi-Wan wasn't looking to restore peace if you ask me. The man said that he and the Young had attempted to free Tahl. When we asked what happened after Tahl was killed, the old man told us that the boy matching Obi-Wan's description went berserk, started killing the Melida left and right. He referred to him as the devil with the laser- sword. Every time he mentioned Obi-Wan I could sense fear. After all, from his story, Obi-wan had apparently slaughtered hundreds of Melida single-handedly. Do you know what the old man's last words were?"  
  
"No, what?" Anakin said and then swallowed the lump in his throat.  
  
"I'll never forget the look in his eyes. With fear he looked up at me and said: 'That kid. he's been sent from Hell to kill us all!'" 


	8. The Visitor

CHAPTER 8: THE VISITOR  
  
"You're Highness, wait!" A frantic Governor Sio Bibble called to Queen Amidala who was marching down a hall of the Theed prison toward the solitary confinement cell at the end.  
  
"Yes Governor?" Amidala asked with a hint of irritation in her voice as she stopped walking and turned to face him.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" The aging Governor asked, approaching her, Panaka at his heals.  
  
"I'd like to know more about him. An intelligent person does not make up their mind about something until they have all of the facts." She said regally.  
  
A smile broke out over Governor Bibble's face. He had taught her that. He had tried his best to acclimate Padme Amidala to the responsibilities of the throne and despite what he thought at the time, it seemed as though she actually listened. For a brief moment he saw her not as his Queen and ruler but as his daughter.  
  
"All right, just be careful." The Governor found himself saying. He knew she would go in whether she had his approval or not.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Panaka protested.  
  
The Queen had been relieved that Panaka was silent up to this point, however she knew that with Panaka, silence was always temporary.  
  
"What's wrong, Captain?" She asked with a great deal of irritation in her voice.  
  
"You can't go in there. As head of security, I highly advise against it. The Jedi Xanatos declared the prisoner dangerous, and I highly agree. I've been in and out of that cell and I'll tell you it's no place for a Queen."  
  
"Xanatos declared him dangerous but Master Jinn disagrees." The Queen pointed out.  
  
"Well, I disagree with Master Jinn!" Panaka manifested.  
  
"There's a surprise." The Queen quipped, sarcastically. "Master Jinn's judgment has not lead us astray thus far, despite all of your complaints about it."  
  
"Look," The Captain said, automatically jumping on the defensive, "the Hutts are gangsters! And still, that reckless Jedi took you to that planet and."  
  
".and everything was fine." The Queen said with a commanding sternness in her voice. "Now, Captain. I'm going into that cell."  
  
"All right," the Captain finally conceded, realizing that last statement was not a request from a little girl, but rather a command from his ruler. "but let me go in first." The Captain made a request of his own.  
  
"Fine." The Queen said rolling her eyes. She hated how over- protective Panaka was of her, but he was only doing his job.  
  
Captain Panaka deactivated the three laser-doors, unlocked the large dura-steel door, puffed out his chest and entered the cell. The Queen and Sio Bibble quickly followed. Panaka entered the cell to see Obi-Wan Kenobi, sitting on his sleep mat, cross-legged. The Prisoner then let a small smile cross his face.  
  
"Panaka! Did you come to kiss me goodnight?" Obi-Wan said, he could never resist an opportunity to poke fun at Panaka, it was one of his few joys in this cell.  
  
Queen Amidala entered the room laughing. Obi-Wan took a long look at her. That laugh was like music to his ears. And her smile made his heart melt. She was so beautiful. Obi-Wan was instantly attracted to her. But then he remembered she was ten years younger than him. She was barely on the verge of womanhood. He felt ashamed that he was having such thoughts about such a young girl.  
  
"I'm a bad man." Obi-Wan found himself blurting aloud.  
  
"That's right! And don't you forget it." Panaka chimed in, seemingly oblivious.  
  
"What do you want Panaka?" Obi-Wan asked, with irritation in his voice.  
  
"This is Queen." Panaka began.  
  
"Yeah I know who she is." Obi-Wan interrupted. "It's kind of hard to mistake royalty."  
  
"She wants to talk to you." Panaka said, angry at Ob-Wan for cutting him off.  
  
"Why?" Obi-Wan demanded, looking at her.  
  
"I'm just curious about you." The Queen said with an innocence that attracted Obi-Wan to her more.  
  
"Well, I'd be happy to share." Obi-Wan said in his most suave voice, which he quickly changed to his most serious voice once he realized there were others in the room. "But the old man and laser-brain have to leave."  
  
"Absolutely not!" Panaka said mostly outraged by the insult. "You could threaten her as leverage to escape."  
  
"Panaka." Obi-Wan said in a tone that was calm yet still suggested he was annoyed by Panaka's ignorance. "Are you aware that you gave me a silver-metallic-colored sleep mat?"  
  
"Yes, they are standard issue.So?" Panaka said sharply.  
  
"And since you are a man of great knowledge, you also know how well these mats reflect light, don't you?" Obi-Wan said, his tone not changing.  
  
"Is there a point to all this?" Panaka said, his irritation growing.  
  
"Yes, my point is that there's no point in me using the Queen in leverage to escape because if I did that, the entire palace guard would be chasing me, when I could have just popped open the vent in the ceiling, used my sleep mat to reflect the laser-bars, and been out without anyone being the wiser, if I really wanted to escape." Obi-Wan said.  
  
Captain Panka just stared blankly, not knowing what to say.  
  
"So, I'm going to have to ask you to just come back after I've had my discussion with the Queen. Now, could you go? I'm kind of busy." Obi-Wan said smugly, while the governor and the Queen chuckled to themselves.  
  
"All right, but I'll be back in ten minutes, and I'm bringing a non- reflective sleep mat!" Panaka said trying to show he was still in control.  
  
Panaka stormed out of the cell, and with half a smile, Sio Bibble slowly followed and shut the door behind him, leaving Obi-Wan alone with the Queen. The visitor looked around the cell. It was bare except for the sleep mat. She felt bad for him, nothing but stone walls and a sleep mat. She propped her back against the wall across from him and sat down on the floor.  
  
"Alone at last." Obi-Wan said uneasily.  
  
"I'm sorry about the conditions." Amidala said sheepishly.  
  
'Don't be." Obi-Wan said. "It's my fault. It was a very nice room until I started to force-throw things at Panaka and they took everything away. Even-still, it's nice. The food is good and at least I have a window.  
  
Padme felt sorry for this man. If he described the conditions he was enduring as "good" she could only imagine the barbaric conditions he must have endured elsewhere.  
  
"So what do you want to know?" Obi-Wan asked, knowing Panaka would be back any minute.  
  
"Xanatos told me about you a little. I just want a more complete picture." The Queen explained.  
  
"What would you like to know more about?" Obi-Wan asked although he already knew the answer.  
  
"I know it's probably dragging up a lot of painful memories and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but." Padme paused, not quite ready to ask.  
  
"It's okay. What is it?" Obi-Wan coaxed her.  
  
The Queen took a deep breath and finally blurted out the question that had been weighing on her mind: "What happened on Melida/Daan?" 


	9. The Dark Sunrise

CHAPTER 9: THE DARK SUNRISE  
  
Morning broke over Coorascant. The Sun seemed a bright scarlet as it broke through the clouds and over the horizon. It's light gleamed off of the countless towering buildings which marked the planet's skyline. Another day had come. The miracle that is life would continue.and it made him sick.  
  
Darth Sidious stood in the hanger of an abandoned building in the bowels of Coorascant's industrial sector watching the sunrise. Hate coursed through him, as it always did. He hated the morning. It reminded him that there were beings out there going about their lives. being happy.  
  
The Jedi say they fight for justice yet they let the scum of the galaxy live and work and love. If the galaxy were truly just, as the Jedi claim they make it, everyone would be miserable. just. like. him. Then they would all be equal. For they would all be filled with hate and despair.  
  
Ordinarily, he would not be out to witness the sunrise, the bitter reminder of the injustices of the galaxy, but on this morning he awaited the return of his apprentice from Naboo. What seemed like hours passed until finally a ship he recognized broke through the clouds and headed for his building.  
  
Mere moments later, the blast doors opened and a Sith interceptor entered the hanger. After a smooth landing, the ship's ramp activated and Darth Maul strode down with his head hung low. He tried to walk as normally as possible. He tried to conceal the wound on his leg. However, he knew his master would notice. his master always noticed.  
  
"Lord Maul. you have been wounded." Sidious said with not a hint of surprise in his voice.  
  
"Yes, master. only slightly." Maul said, dropping to one knee. "Kenobi has betrayed us." He continued, hoping to take some of the focus off of his failure.  
  
"Yes, I know." The Sith master said casually. "You'll find that I know a great many things about the events of yesterday."  
  
"Don't you need to be going? It is your home planet? They will be suspicious if you do not arrive." Maul tried suggesting the postponement of his punishment.  
  
"Oh, don't you worry about that, apprentice. I will go. But first, I have some unfinished business to attend to." The Dark Lord sneered.  
  
Maul felt his heart jump into his throat, he knew exactly what that meant. His Master gave him a disapproving gaze and then turned his attention toward the direction of the ship.  
  
"Assassin!" Sidious called to the Sith Interceptor. "Come forth. You have earned the right to look upon me."  
  
Dooku emerged from the ship with his head bowed as a sign of respect. He then dropped to a knee beside Maul. He felt honored that he had been given this right, yet was still disappointed that because of his master's hood, Dooku really couldn't see his face anyway.  
  
"You have done well, assassin. Congratulations on the killing of your first Jedi. What reward can I bestow upon the slayer of the great Sypho-Dias?" Sidious asked.  
  
"I only ask for the opportunity to serve you Lord." Dooku said, humbly.  
  
"And so you shall receive it. Very soon you will have the opportunity to serve me greatly." Sidious said with a sinister smile breaking over his face. His gaze then shifted to Darth Maul and his expression turned to a scowl. "Rise, Lord Maul." He commanded.  
  
Maul rose to his feet. His yellow-colored eyes searched his master's face for a hint of forgiveness. He could not find it.  
  
"You have failed me!" Sidious sneered.  
  
"Yes, master." Maul said, apologetically.  
  
"You're pathetic! A mere assassin had the strength to kill a member of the Jedi council and you couldn't even dispose of a padawan." The old man scorned.  
  
"He was a Jedi Knight." Maul said in his defense.  
  
"Silence!" Palpatine ordered, and then sent a wave of force lightning coursing through Maul's body. The tattooed Sith winced in pain and fell to the floor.  
  
"You will speak only when I command you to. Look at you, cowering like a child. Have you no shame?" Dooku could hear his master mocking his peer. He could not see them, for Maul had backed away and they were now behind Dooku, on the other side of the hanger. Dooku remained in where he was. He tried not to draw attention to himself.  
  
"You have failed me for the last time!" Sidous said continuing both his verbal and physical onslaught.  
  
"Master. Please!" Maul pleaded as he thrashed about violently on the ground.  
  
"Do not beg! It makes me sick to think I ever put faith into a weakling like you." Sidious scorned as he continued to electrocute his apprentice. Dooku could hear the helpless screams of Maul and smell the burning of his friend's flesh.  
  
"You call yourself a Sith Lord!? There is no pain where strength lies!" How appropriate, Dooku thought, that the last words Maul would hear would be the ones his master had uttered to him his whole life.  
  
"There is no pain where strength lies," was an old Sith saying. It most likely had it's origins linked to the origins of the order itself. Maul had heard this phrase countless times throughout his life, and he heard it during his transition to death.  
  
Maul's screaming, his yelps of pain, his pleads were all very terrifying to Dooku. Dooku was very familiar with death but never before had he witnessed one of his companions murder another one of his companions. But even more terrifying than the screams of pain and the sizzle of electricity was the silence. the awful silence.  
  
"And as for you." Sidious said, breaking said silence as he approached Dooku. "You ask for the opportunity to serve me and so it is yours. You are my new apprentice. Henceforth you shall be known as Darth Tyranus."  
  
Dooku rose and turned to face his master. "I'm honored." He said simply with a bow. The truth was, he was honored yet still felt a bit disappointed. He had wanted for some time to become the apprentice, one of the two, yet he had always expected that when he finally did obtain this, there would be a ceremony of sorts. His acquisition of this prestigious position seemed a bit anticlimactic. Still he kept quiet and respectful.  
  
"Come, Lord Tyranus. We have much work to do." Sidious said. "Kenobi will undoubtedly lead the Jedi here and when they arrive, we'll be ready for them." 


	10. The Prisioner's Account

Author's note: Sorry for the delay everyone, and thanks again for the wonderful reviews. I've been extremely busy lately I apologize once again for how long this chapter has taken. This chapter has been the most difficult chapter I've ever written. It seemed no matter how many times I revised it, I still wasn't pleased with it. Please be honest when you review this one. I am aware that it's not top notch.  
  
CHAPTER 10: THE PRISIONER'S ACCOUNT  
  
"What's there to tell?" Obi-Wan asked, and promptly turned his attention to staring into space. "Melida/Daan was a bloody, war-torn planet; and it probably still is."  
  
"Then why did you stay?" Queen Amidala asked with sincerity.  
  
"It was all I had. I couldn't go back to the Jedi, not after what I did."  
  
"Why not? From what I understand the Jedi are like family. They would have understood."  
  
"Not quite, milady. They would have jumped at the chance to ostracize me. No one wanted me there, except maybe Qui-Gon. Tahl never even wanted me as her padawan. No matter what I did, there was no pleasing her. That's why she always left me behind, because she saw me as such a failure."  
  
"Why would she think that? You're being ridiculous."  
  
"Am I? Despite what you've come to understand, things aren't like that with the Jedi. They don't care for excuses and they don't forgive. They only demand perfection."  
  
"That's much of our society today. Results are expected of us all, even the children. It just doesn't seem fair. I understand."  
  
Obi-Wan believed she did understand. Being Queen at the age of fourteen must have involved a rather tumultuous childhood. After all at age fourteen she was practically still a child, herself. At that moment, Obi-Wan decided that this young girl understood him when no one had ever understood him before. Padme Amidala had done what she had set out to do: she won his confidence.  
  
"So why are you really here?" Obi-Wan asked still unsatisfied with her previous answer.  
  
"I told you, I'm curious." She answered with that endearingly adorable grin.  
  
"About Melida/Daan?" He asked. The girl nodded. "Very well." He continued. "I bartered my way onto the planet. It wasn't easy considering no one wanted to go to a war-ridden planet. I knew my Master was in trouble from the minute I set foot on there. I could sense it. I set out to find her, I set out to be a hero, instead I became a prisoner of war."  
  
"You were captured? By whom?"  
  
"Nield and Cersi, otherwise known as the leaders of The Young."  
  
"The Young? Oh, of course; the group of freedom-fighter children. I have to admit when I heard their stories I found them pretty inspirational."  
  
"So did I." Obi-Wan confessed. "I thought Cersi and Neild were members of the Melida army. So I let them take me prisoner in order to discover the whereabouts of my Master. When I found out who they really were and they found out who I was, I suppose we empathized with one another. We made a pact to help one another as best we could."  
  
"Sounds like quite the arrangement. You get their knowledge of the planet and they get a Jedi soldier."  
  
"I suppose that was the idea. I think Cersi really felt bad for me and that's why she agreed to the arrangement and I always suspected that Nield only wanted to use me as leverage in his negotiations. Either way the very next day we coordinated an attack on the Melida's prison. We successfully freed my Master as we had anticipated, however we had not anticipated the Melida would fight back so much."  
  
"There was a battle?"  
  
"Yes, a terrible one. The Melida were willing to slaughter their own children in order to keep their Jedi prisoner for leverage. They hoped to bargain with the republic for her life. They would return Tahl in exchange for aide, including more weapons. This leverage which they killed so greatly for was soon lost. In my attempts to keep Nield and Cersi safe from blaster fire a stray blast hit Tahl. She was already dying, the blast merely finished the job."  
  
"How awful.I'm sorry."  
  
"I couldn't allow it. I couldn't allow their bloodlust to go unpunished. They were willing to kill innocents who had nothing to do with the war and even their own children, all so they could gain the power to destroy an enemy whom they couldn't even remember the reason they were fighting." Obi-Wan got that far off, distant look once more. He had never spoken openly about this to anyone before.  
  
"You say you couldn't allow it. What did you do?" Padme earged him out of his shell again.  
  
"What else, I fought back. I fought with out any regard for the ways of the Force. Yet I still felt a power surging through me, a different power, a power which made me sick to my stomach yet fueled my muscles with an intensity they'd never known before. It was that day that I discovered the darkside. That's why I couldn't go back. I know the Jedi masters would have sensed a change in me, I just couldn't face them. I couldn't face my failure."  
  
"So you spread rumors that you had been killed so the Jedi investigative team would give up on their search for you."  
  
"You're too smart for your own good, milady." Obi-Wan smiled.  
  
"How did you become involved with the Sith?" The girl ignored the flattery and continued her questioning.  
  
"When one is seduced by the darkside one tries to seek out others with it. I can't explain it better than: the darkside can make one lust for power and there is strength in numbers. I met a girl. Her name was Indira. She showed me a life that I felt had it all: the life of a Sith assassin."  
  
"The life of a Sith assassin has it all?"  
  
"You have to remember, I was a seventeen year old boy. A pretty girl could have asked me to eat duracrete and I would have done it."  
  
"Indira was beautiful?"  
  
"Her beauty pales in comparison to yours, milady." Padme blushed and smiled, this flattery she acknowledged. "Anyway, beside the fact that I had a pretty girl twisting my arm the life also seemed pretty amazing to a guy my age. I got to go on missions, pick fights, have adventures, it was like being a Jedi, but without the responsibility."  
  
"Sounds great. Why did you leave?"  
  
"We all have to grow up sometime." Obi-Wan said with a smile which quickly faded. "Honestly, I couldn't allow Maul to go through with it. Qui-Gon was always kind to me at the temple. I know it sounds lame but I felt a connection to him. In a way I felt like he was the only friend I had."  
  
"That doesn't sound lame. I think it's sweet." Padme said with that charming smile.  
  
"So milady, did you find out everything you wanted to know about me?"  
  
"About your controversial past, perhaps, But I'd like to get to know a great deal more about you." Padme said with a smile that was seductive beyond her years.  
  
She's fourteen! Obi-Wan kept reminding himself. Her maturity made it difficult to remember that fact. Each time she spoke, their age gap seemed to close.  
  
"Perhaps you'll have that opportunity by and by." Obi-Wan said respectfully.  
  
"So tell me," Padme said, changing subjects, "Why exactly are you in here?"  
  
"Beats me." Obi-Wan scoffed. "You should have asked Xanatos when you were pumping him for information about me. I suppose It's because they deem me a threat."  
  
"That's outrageous! You are a hero. If not for you, Master Jinn would no longer be with us. You've done no wrong. I'm going to arrange your release." Padme said rising to her feet, determination burning in her eyes.  
  
"If you insist." Obi-Wan said with a chuckle. He guessed that having the planet's ruler on one's side must be advantageous.  
  
"I will have you out in time to attend the victory celebration ball tonight."  
  
"I beg your pardon? A ball? I don't think so. I'm not exactly very sociable-looking right now." Obi-Wan ran his fingers through his scraggly beard and looked at his dusty, ratty clothes.  
  
"I'll provide clothing and a place to bathe. You are a hero of our planet and I insist you come. I'll even save a dance for you." She said with yet another smile.  
  
"Do you think that would be appropriate?" Obi-Wan wondered.  
  
"Oh." Padme said with realization in her voice. "Do you not care for women?" She said slowly as if trying to search for the best way to ask the question.  
  
"What?! No. I mean yes, of course I like women. I thought that was obvious from my story about Indira. I meant, would it be inappropriate considering our ages?"  
  
Padme had a look of puzzlement on her face. "It's just a dance. It's not like we're getting married." She said with a chuckle.  
  
"Yeah." Obi-Wan scoffed, trying to hide the fact that he had actually thought how nice that would be.  
  
"So after I arrange your release, you'll be there?" Padme asked with hope in her eyes.  
  
Obi-Wan searched his mind for a way to put her down gently. He didn't want to go to some stuffy party, but he didn't want to seem ungrateful for his release nor did he want to disappoint the Queen.  
  
"Please." Padme pleaded and then held his gaze with her beautiful brown eyes that seemed to tug at his heartstrings. How could he say no to a creature who was so beautiful both inside and out. "For me?" She said with that pleasing, endearing, tone she had and continued to hold his gaze with her puppy-dog eyes.  
  
"I'd be honored." Obi-Wan said, caving in.  
  
"Excellent!" Padme said with a huge grin. "Once I have secured your release, I'll send my handmaiden Sabe here to assist you with anything you require." The Queen headed to the door and knocked lightly. Quickly Panaka opened the door and burst into the cell.  
  
"Everything okay?" He said boldly.  
  
"Fine, Captain." She said and headed out the door. She stopped in the doorway and turned to face Obi-Wan. "See you tonight." She said, then turned and continued down the hall.  
  
Panaka followed and closed the door behind him. Obi-Wan was left alone in his cell once more. He thought for a moment about the upcoming night and then he realized that several members of the Jedi council, who were on planet for Sypho-Dias' funeral, would probably be there.  
  
The confrontation he had avoided all these years was now inevitable. He promised the Queen he'd attend tonight, not realizing he would have to face the demons of his past. Obi-Wan covered his eyes with his forearm, laid back on his sleep mat and said quietly to himself: "What the Hell have I done!?" 


	11. The Council Arrives

CHAPTER 11: THE COUNCIL ARRIVES  
  
"Why's everyone waiting here in the Palace Courtyard?" Anakin asked. Like all children, the boy was ever-curious.  
  
"We are awaiting the arrival of the ship form Coorascant." Qui-Gon explained.  
  
"I thought that's why we were in the hanger yesterday." Anakin observed.  
  
"Yes, but Senator, pardon me, 'Chancellor' Palpatine, has decided to put their arrival in the public eye. He wishes to arrive on the planet as a hero, even though he's done nothing." Xanatos scoffed.  
  
"Keep your opinions to yourself, Xanatos. We are guests of the Naboo. We ought to be polite." Qui-Gon said respectfully.  
  
"Of course," Xanatos straightened, "my apologies."  
  
In a matter of minutes, a dark maroon ship broke through the clouds to a chorus of cheers from the on looking host of Naboo and Gungans. Nute Gunray shuddered. He knew the ship would take him back to Coorascant and take him to his regrettable fate.  
  
The ship landed in their midst, there was a moment of stillness, and then two long lines of Senatorial Blue Guards marched down the ramp in all too perfect straight lines. The crowd roared the whole time.  
  
The cheers became almost deafening when Chancellor Palpatine strode down the ramp. He waved politely at the crowd. He tried to look as though he was embarrassed to be the center of attention but Qui-Gon could see through that. As a Jedi he could always read people. He could tell that the Chancellor was the type of man who loved when people loved him. Qui-Gon sensed this so strongly that he felt the Chancellor was the sort to do anything to make people love or respect him.  
  
Palpatine was followed closely by several Jedi, some Qui-Gon knew well, others he had not seen in a long time. Among the Jedi following was Siri Tachi who gave Xanatos a secretive glance. Xanatos looked at her similarly. Qui-Gon knew what that was all about.  
  
One didn't have to have a Jedi's intuition to realize Siri and Xanatos had feelings for one another. Qui-Gon was well aware of the dangers of romantic attachment but he said nothing to Xanatos. It was not his place. Xanatos was no longer his apprentice. Of course as his friend, Qui-Gon would certainly keep an eye on the situation.  
  
Queen Amidalia headed toward the ship to greet the travelers. Qui-Gon, Xanatos and Anakin followed closely behind. Mid-way to the ship, the Queen stopped briefly to have a word with the leaders of the Trade Federation.  
  
"Now Viceroy," she said with a bit of brashness in her voice, "you must return to the Senate and try to explain your actions."  
  
"I think you can kiss your trade franchise good-bye." Captain Panaka added. As usual, he had something to add.  
  
The two defeated Neimoidians hung their heads in shame as Captain Panaka escorted them to the ship which would transport them on their long journey home. Chancellor Palpatine now stood in front of the Queen.  
  
"Congratulations on your election, Chancellor." She said only half meaning it. A piece of her still didn't fully trust this man.  
  
"Your boldness has saved our people, Your Majesty," The Chancellor said proudly, "it's you who should be congratulated. Together we can bring peace and prosperity to the Republic!" At this the crowd cheered the conversation they were merely overhearing.  
  
Qui-Gon headed over to Mace Windu and Yoda who were at the forefront of the pack of Jedi.  
  
"We must speak with the council in private. We've received some very interesting information about the identity of the Queen's attacker." Qui- Gon said in a whisper to his seniors.  
  
Mace nodded then turned to speak to the Queen. "Is there anywhere we can speak in private?" He asked, respectfully.  
  
"Of course," Chancellor Palpatine jumped in. "why don't we head to the throne room?"  
  
"Alright." Mace said with a bit of surprise in his voice he had not expected Palpatine to want to join their conversation but he figured that there was little they should keep form the Chancellor and he was probably curious about the attacks on the Queen.  
  
The members of the Jedi Council, the Chancellor, the Queen, Governor Bibble, the Queen's hand maidens, Qui-Gon, Xanatos, and Anakin all congregated toward the throne-room.  
  
Once inside, Yoda instructed Qui-Gon to share the information he had.  
  
"Very well," Qui-Gon said, "however I didn't realize we would be discussing these matters in front of the Naboo."  
  
"Please Master Jedi, we don't mean to intrude. Discuss anything you'd like with the council. We merely wish to know who was after me." The Queen said with the innocence of a little girl and yet with the diplomatic maturity of a great leader.  
  
"We are your friends, Master Jedi. I hope you don't think we'd ever use any information discussed here against you. Certainly, the Jedi have nothing to hide." Chancellor Palpatine said with a sickly smile.  
  
"All right," Qui-Gon said with a shrug, "but before we discuss the identity of the Queen's attacker I was curious if the great and wise Jedi Council had reached a decision about the future of Anakin Skywalker? Will I be allowed to train him?" Qui-Gon knew this was his best chance for the Council to grant him permission. They certainly would not want to be drawn into a debate in front of the leaders of the Naboo.  
  
Yoda let out an exasperated sigh. "The time for that this is not, Qui- Gon." He said. "Interested in that the Naboo aren't. Discuss we must the Queen's attacker."  
  
"Of course the Naboo are interested!" Qui-Gon said quickly before they had a chance to speak for themselves, he would not let Yoda sidestep the issue that easily. "Young Anakin here was an intricate part in the planet's victory, nay their survival. He saved not only the lives of many Naboo security guards and pilots but also thousands of Gungans. He is a hero to this planet. I would certainly believe the Naboo would be concerned about the future of one of their heroes." Qui-Gon spoke with such certainty, he half convinced himself. He looked down to see Anakin beaming with pride.  
  
"Alright!" Mace said in a rare outburst. "If you want the answer Master Jinn then you'll have it. It is the feeling of the council that the boy is too old."  
  
Qui-Gon felt his heart sink, he sensed the same in Anakin. The answer's no. The two thought simultaneously.  
  
"However," Windu continued. "We have noted the boys exceptional skills and we have decided to allow you to train him."  
  
A quick, uncontrollable smile broke over the faces of Qui-Gon, Anakin and Padme. All three felt a surge of joy.  
  
"One condition we have, Qui-Gon." Yoda said sternly, trying hard to prevent a celebration. "Train the boy you may, but responsible for him you are."  
  
"Of course." Qui-Gon said, almost offended that they had to state the obvious. "Masters are always responsible for their padawans. That goes without saying." "Don't be naive, old friend." Ki Adi Mundi said, trying to get Qui-Gon to understand.  
  
"Take responsibility for his actions, the council will not. Clean up his messes you will." Yoda finally spit out the obvious.  
  
"I don't know why you felt you had to say that." Qui-Gon said with a supportive hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Anakin will not cause any trouble."  
  
The council glanced at one another. They had heard the same sort of promise before only it was when Qui-Gon pleaded with them to grant Obi-Wan permission to stay at the Temple longer to try and find a master.  
  
"We didn't mean to imply he would be trouble, we merely wanted to make sure you were clear on the stipulations of this arrangement. We apologize if you took our cautiousness as contempt. We think Anakin will be a fine Jedi, otherwise we wouldn't have approved of his training." Mace said in an apologetic tone.  
  
Qui-Gon felt his temper subside. He cocked a half smile, it was rare to hear Mace speak so eloquently and even rarer to hear him use an apologetic tone.  
  
"Of course." Qui-Gon said. "No harm done, and thank you for giving me permission to train Anakin. You won't regret this day."  
  
"Sure I am that we won't. Now, my reasoning do you see for wanting this discussion to postpone?" Yoda said, he knew this little talk had made the Naboo uneasy. "Tell us why don't you of the attacker?"  
  
"Oh, yes." Qui-Gon had nearly forgotten. "Would you like to take this Xanatos?" Qui-Gon felt like he was giving his old friend the privilege of telling them the big news.  
  
Xanatos frowned, he felt like Qui-Gon was trying to get him to be the one to relay the bad news. "Alright," Xanatos said, "Masters, we have factual proof that the Queen's attacker was a Sith Lord."  
  
"And what facts are you basing this 'factual proof' on, Knight Xanatos?" Ki Adi Mundi asked, he was never one to jump to conclusions.  
  
"Well, as many of you may have heard, Qui-Gon and I encountered this assailant during the battle the other day. We were separated from one another, Qui-Gon continued the fight, however I was trapped behind a lazer wall. Then, out of nowhere, this other madman with a red lightsaber, joins the fight."  
  
"An accomplice to the first attacker?" Adi Gallia asked.  
  
"That's what I thought." Xanatos continued. He now spoke with more confidence realizing the council was not only not angry with this information, but they actually seemed interested in what he had to say. "So as soon as the walls deactivated, I ran in to join the fight. First I took on the Queen's attacker, I easily took care of him with a swift kick, and he fell into the melting pit. But not before he grabbed hold of Qui- Gon's belt."  
  
"He grabbed Qui-Gon's belt?" Ploo Koon asked, wondering how much of this was fabricated.  
  
"His liquid cable launcher to be exact. So the first assailant pulled Qui- gon down by the belt, into the pit, he activated the cable launcher and he and Qui-Gon were just hanging there together for a long time, just hanging on for their lives. So there I was facing the other one. I dealt with him, no problem and then I saved Qui-Gon."  
  
"Uh, Xanatos?" Qui-Gon interrupted. "You didn't save me. You were trapped behind that lazer wall for quite some time."  
  
"Oh, yeah." Xanatos said trying to pretend his story was merely a lapse in memory rather than fictional bragging.  
  
"Maters Windu, Yoda and myself are well aware of what happened during the battle from your briefing yesterday and we will happily relay the tale to the rest of the council later, what we're curious about is the pieces of information you wanted to tell us in person. Namely, who the second assailant who saved Qui-Gon is and how you know the First assailant is a Sith Lord." Ki Adi Mundi said with frustration in his voice, it was time to have the facts.  
  
"We know the Queen's attacker is a Sith Lord because the man who saved me used to work for the Sith. He informed us that this was so. He said he knew the Queen's attacker as 'Darth Maul' the Sith apprentice. So you see we have inside information." Qui-Gon explained.  
  
"How can we trust the word of someone who was in league with the Sith?" Mace asked skeptically.  
  
"I trust him." Qui-Gon said plainly.  
  
"Why?" Mace pressed. "Who is he? One of these random life forms you helped out on a past mission?"  
  
Qui-Gon was silent.  
  
"Who is he?!" Mace demanded.  
  
"Obi-Wan Kenobi." The Queen finally spoke up after remaining quiet for so long.  
  
Mace's eyes were wide as he stared at the girl. "Impossible, he's dead." He said, mostly trying to convince himself.  
  
"No, he's not; you can see him if you'd like." The Queen said defensively, she didn't like when others told her she was wrong, especially when she knew she wasn't.  
  
"Where is he now?" Adi Gallia inquired.  
  
"That's something I'd like to discuss with you." The Queen said, segueing into her own agenda. "He is currently in the Palace prison, despite the fact that he's done no wrong. In fact the only thing he's done is saved Master Jinn's life, and despite that, Knight Xanatos felt that the best place for him was where we send the most hardened criminals."  
  
"The man worked for the Sith, I felt it was best." Xanatos said, in his defense.  
  
"Yet he left them, betrayed them even, and saved the life of one of your own. I understand your reasoning, but he must be released." Amidala said.  
  
"I agree." Qui-Gon, chimed in.  
  
"Thank you Master Jinn." The Queen said with a smile.  
  
"Despite how high I hold each of your opinions, I must say I agree with Xanatos. He should stay in that cell. He's dangerous. He has killed people, or did he forget to tell you about Melida/Daan?" Mace asked the Queen.  
  
"No, Master Windu, he and I discussed that at great length." She said sternly, she also didn't like people talking down to her. "And yes he killed people there, but it was a war. Killing other soldiers in war, is not a crime."  
  
"While you may have a point, I believe he's to dangerous to release." Mace reiterated.  
  
"I will not carry this discussion any further," the Queen said tersely, "He has done no wrong and as the ruler of this planet I will not allow him to remain in captivity. The injustice of the situation is staggering and I can't believe you would support it. I thought Jedi were supposed to stand for justice."  
  
"Very well," Yoda said calmly, "entitled you are to do what you want. Request all we do is a word with him." Yoda had a way of easing tension.  
  
"You can speak with him at the celebration ball this evening." Padme said.  
  
"He'll be attending?" Xanatos asked curiously.  
  
"I invited him already." She answered  
  
"Fine." Mace said rolling his eyes. "We'll speak with him this evening. Is there anything else we should discuss?" He asked.  
  
Everyone shook their heads. They had clearly had enough discussion.  
  
"Then I suggest we get ready for the ball." Mace said and everyone dispersed.  
  
Before leaving, Chancellor Palpatine had a final word on a more personal level with Mace Windu. "Don't worry, Master Windu. I'll make sure my security forces keep a good eye on that Kenobi fellow. I don't trust him either."  
  
"It's good to know someone is on my side." Mace said with half a smile.  
  
"It's always good to know who your friends are, Master Windu. And equally valuable to know your enemies. A man like Kenobi is tricky, you may think he's your friend but he may betray you before long." The Chancellor said.  
  
"You're right." Mace agreed. "True evil would try to disguise itself as good."  
  
"You have no idea how true that is." Palpatine said with a smile. "You have no idea." 


	12. An Awkward Engagment

CHAPTER 12: AN AWKWARD ENGAGEMENT  
  
The sun was setting on the city of Theed. Brilliant rays of light broke through alabaster clouds setting a soothing orange glow upon the peaks of domed buildings. Obi-Wan Kenobi stood upon a palace alcove high above the city taking it all in. His strong, callused hands were set on the safety railing as he leaned over to get a good view of the landscape.  
  
A small, white, brown-speckled bird landed beside his left hand. The diminutive creature hopped about on the railing, chirping with each little jump. It appeared to not have a care in the world. Obi-Wan envied it. The bird then took flight, returning to the pigment-drenched landscape from whence it came.  
  
"Everyone has their own version of heaven." Obi-Wan said quietly to himself and an empty balcony. "And I think I found mine."  
  
Just then he heard a muffled knock on the door in his new room. He went through the large duraglass doors, crossed the room and opened the door. Just outside stood Sabe, one of the Queen's handmaidens. She wore a lavish ceremonial gown and an ornate headdress.  
  
She looked at Obi-Wan who since last she had seen him, had a haircut, a shave and a much-needed bath. He was also adorned in an elaborate robe, the appearance of which, he complained about form the moment he saw it. He shouldn't have, she thought, he looks good.  
  
"You clean up very nicely, if you don't think it's to forward of me to say so." Sabe said with a grin. She and Obi-Wan had spent most of the afternoon together and she felt a shred of closeness to him.  
  
"Thanks." He responded. "I still think this robe looks awful."  
  
"Are you ready to go?" Sabe asked, knowing there was nothing she could say to change his mind about the robe.  
  
He nodded and they were off. Obi-Wan closed the door behind him and the two made their way down the hall and over to the palace's Grand Ballroom. Sabe had told Obi-Wan some of the history behind the Grand Ballroom It was a room the Naboo used to entertain foreign diplomats.  
  
Most recently it had been used for a celebration in honor of the newly elected King of Alderan, Bail Organa. The Naboo and Alderan systems had always been good political friends, most likely because they were similar. The only major difference between their political systems was that Alderan elected rulers for life, whereas the Naboo only elected rulers for a certain period of time.  
  
This evening the historic Ballroom would be used to entertain the leaders of the Gungans, in celebration of their joint victory and newly found alliance with the Naboo. Sabe had also told Obi-Wan the Ballroom was lavish yet it was designed to have a homely feel to put at ease any visiting diplomats that may feel uncomfortable in a foreign place. Obi-Wan hoped She was right. He knew that he'd feel uncomfortable several times throughout tonight. He might need some comforting.  
  
The hallway in front of the main entrance was scattered with elegantly dressed life forms. Most were either human or gungan. There were other species represented. Most likely diplomats from neighboring systems, Obi- Wan thought. Everyone in the hallway was smiling and joking. Many were greeting one another or introducing one another. It seemed to be a cheerful event.  
  
"This might not be so bad." Obi-Wan thought to himself as he and Sabe, entered the Grand Ballroom. As they entered, Obi-Wan took notice of the intricately carved double-doors. Each door was carved from a single piece of thirink, a rare stone, native to the Tund system which shone brilliantly and appeared to change color depending on how the light hit it. The doors themselves had incredibly detailed murals carved into them which depicted the history of the Naboo from the time when deep-space explorer Granna Pelos discovered a planet he described as, "more beautiful than the face of the maker," all the way to the epic battle for Ehclo, one of Naboo's moons, which took place no less than one hundred years ago.  
  
The Ballroom itself was even more spectacular. The entire room was paneled in wood from the clanna tree, floor to ceiling, every inch of this room was covered in the beautiful and costly clanna wood. The clanna wood was also intricately carved, only rather than the history of the planet each of the large panels on the walls was carved to depict some aspect of life on Naboo such as art, sport, nature, etc. Each one was more beautiful than the last. The ceiling, Obi-Wan noticed, was dedicated to the Republic. It had many famous monuments and faces of people who helped form the Republic, or those considered to be heroes of the Republic. Several Jedi faces were among them.  
  
The floor had no intricate carvings, it was pure, yet beautifully polished clanna. One might think of the room as blandly colored if not for the ingeniously placed colored lighting, the nearly ten thousand candles scattered throughout the room, a large roaring fireplace on the north wall and the low benches that surrounded the room covered in boldly colored throw rugs and pillows. The Grand Ballroom lived up to it's name and Obi- Wan saw nothing homely about it; it was only spectacular.  
  
Many beings gathered on the large, open floor in the center of the room. A band played, not a band that played upbeat music like the ones in the seedy bars Obi-Wan was used to going to, but a band that played an enticing symphony that in it's own way really livened things up. Some danced, but most just gathered in small groups on the edges of the dance floor or on the low benches and talked.  
  
There was a buffet table on the opposite side of the band and if was filled with such a great assortment of gourmet foods that a previously, satisfied Obi-Wan began to feel his stomach growl when he looked at it. It seemed like such a wonderful affair, it was elegant without being dull. Even the often-brash Gungans seemed to be enjoying themselves.  
  
Obi-Wan too was enjoying himself, and as of yet had seen no sign of the Queen or of the Jedi, until he heard a voice behind him say: "Well, well, well. They said you'd be here but I hardly believed them."  
  
Obi-Wan didn't recognize the voice nor did he recognize it's bearer when he turned around. The one who spoke to him was a man about Obi-Wan's age and height who had closely cropped, white hair and was adorned in Jedi clothing. Because he did not recognize him, Obi-Wan didn't say anything. He didn't want to offend him.  
  
"You don't remember me, do you?" The young man asked without a hint of surprise in his voice. "I know it's been a while but how could you forget me, Oafy-Wan?"  
  
Realization swept over Obi-Wan. "Bruck Chun?" He wondered in disbelief.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't forget me entirely." Bruck said with a sickly grin. "So what's it like to be a traitor to both the Jedi and the Sith?"  
  
"It's better than your mom." Obi-Wan answered gruffly.  
  
"You're lucky I don't know my mom, otherwise I'd have to hurt you." Bruck said.  
  
Obi-Wan gave a quick scoff implying that Bruck probably couldn't hurt him even if he tried, Bruck picked up in these implications and grew a bit defensive.  
  
"Don't think I couldn't. Just because I never became a Jedi Knight doesn't mean I'm not an excellent fighter. I work at the temple, I train those students everyday. I not only improve their skills, I improve my own and one day, we'll finish that duel we started twelve years ago."  
  
"And perhaps this time you won't run off crying to the medical droids like a coward. You'll-" Obi-Wan began and then was shortly cut off by someone grabbing his shoulder and calling his name.  
  
"Obi-Wan?" It was the Queen. Obi-Wan half-turned so he was between her and Bruck.  
  
"Milady." He responded.  
  
"You clean up nicely." She said with sincerity in her eyes.  
  
"That's what Sabe said." Obi-Wan didn't know how to respond, he still felt ridiculous in that robe. "Oh, by the way. This is Bruck Chun, he and I were students at the temple together."  
  
"Oh, well it's good to see you were reunited with one of your old friends." The Queen said with her innocent smile.  
  
"Who said we were friends?" Bruck and Obi-Wan asked simultaneously.  
  
"Sorry," the Queen said with a chuckle, "I didn't know. So you're a Jedi, Bruck?"  
  
"Well, no. I work at the temple."  
  
"Yeah he works with the sewage system or something, let's go " Obi-Wan said quickly, and then draped his arm around the Queen's shoulder and led her away before Bruck had a chance to reply.  
  
Padme looked gorgeous. She wore a gown of white as if to signify her purity. The gown hung to the floor and had a small train that brushed the floor when she walked. She also had a golden head dress which when framed around her young and beautiful, white-painted face, looked remarkably like a halo.  
  
"I'm sorry about that. I never got along with that guy." Obi-Wan apologized for his rude behavior.  
  
"It's alright." Padme smiled, "I'm just glad you made it."  
  
"You look wonderful." Obi-Wan complimented.  
  
"Thank you." The Queen said with a smile.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"What about that dance?" Padme asked with anticipation in her voice.  
  
Obi-Wan said nothing he merely offered her his arm, then led her onto the dance floor. The two danced quietly for a moment, the song had a slow tempo. Obi-Wan was a bit shocked when the Queen laid her head on his chest. He looked over at Governor Bibble who stood off to the side, he had a look of warning in his eyes. Obi-Wan nodded at him to assure him he had no ill intentions for the girl.  
  
A few more songs past and the two remained on the dance floor, never changing partners by Padme's insistence. Until suddenly, Obi-Wan jumped, whispered an expletive and turned around. Padme looked straight over his shoulder to see a large group of Jedi entering the Ballroom. They each dispersed starting conversations with patrons at the party, except for Masters Mace Windu and Yoda who headed directly for Obi-Wan.  
  
They stopped right in the middle of the dance floor. Yoda's diminutive size almost made one couple trip over him. Neither said a word, they just stood their and stared at Obi-Wan and the Queen. A few seconds later, Obi- Wan stopped dancing, broke his embrace with Padme and looked at the two Jedi masters.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt, we are." Yoda said with a touch of sarcasm.  
  
"We need to speak with you in private." Mace said, glaring hard at Obi- Wan.  
  
"Sure." Obi-Wan said and then followed the two out of the Grand Ballroom, down the hall and into a small Palace conference room. There was a large table with several padded chairs surrounding the table. The members of the Jedi council, Qui-Gon Jinn, Xanatos, Anakin, and Siri Tachi all sat around the table.  
  
Chancellor Palpatine stood at the front of the room, speaking idly to the Jedi, while watering a plant in the corner.  
  
"This is my favorite conference room. I hope you all will find it accommodating to your needs. Oh, here they are, so I'll just leave you to your business." The Chancellor said and then headed for the door. "I wouldn't want to impose on Jedi business." The Chancellor reassured as he shut the door behind him. Little did they know, he planted a comlink in the plant and would hear the whole conversation anyway.  
  
"Take a seat." Mace said, holding out his hand to indicate a seat at the end of the table, closest to the door. Obi-Wan, did as he was told. Mace and Yoda took their seats at the opposite end of the table.  
  
There was a moment of awkward silence as the Jedi sat there just looking at him. He stared back uncomfortably, his stomach churned, whatever it was they wanted to talk about, it must not be good. The silence continued until it was finally broken by Siri Tachi.  
  
"Stars above, it is him." She said rising out of her seat and walking over to where Obi-Wan sat. She looked at him and then cocked her fist back and struck Obi-wan with it in the shoulder.  
  
"Ow!" Obi-Wan yelled, rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"  
  
"I just felt like punching you." Siri said simply as if it were an average answer.  
  
"Siri!" Adi Gallia said firmly and it was all she had to say. Siri took note of the scolding and seated herself once more.  
  
Just before She took her seat beside him Xanatos managed to say to Obi-Wan quietly: "Nice robe, by the way."  
  
Obi-Wan did not want to appear short tempered in front of the council, so instead of one of the dozens of comebacks running through his head, all he managed was a sarcastic: "Thanks." And then, "What do you want to know?" he finally blurted out, growing weary of awkward silence.  
  
"There is a great deal we'd like to know, Obi-Wan." Ki Adi Mundi said plainly.  
  
"About Melida/Daan?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"No. We already know much of what transpired there. The queen told us your story in exchange for our approval of your release." Mace explained.  
  
"Well that was nice of her. Saves me having to tell it again. So what do you want to know about. The Sith?"  
  
At those words, the members of the council perked up. They hadn't expected him to be so open about it.  
  
"Yes, Obi-Wan. Tell us about the Sith." Plo Koon said in between hissing breaths.  
  
"I don't know much. The only thing I knew, I already told Qui-Gon and Xanatos. I knew the apprentice, Darth Maul. I never knew the master."  
  
"Didn't you take orders from him?" Mace asked, skeptically.  
  
"Yes but through holograms only, and he always kept his face covered. He called himself Darth Sidious and that's all I know about him."  
  
"That's it?" Adi Gallia asked with disappointment in her voice. They had come so close to unraveling the mystery of the Sith. It was frustrating. They had an insider, and he knew nothing.  
  
Suddenly an idea came to Obi-Wan. "You know. I could take you there."  
  
"Where?" Ki Adi Mundi asked, curious.  
  
"To the Sith's lair, their hideout, the place I've lived for the past seven years. It's on Coorascant." Obi-Wan said, now excited.  
  
"A good idea, Obi-Wan." Yoda declared. "Tomorrow after Sypho-Dias' funeral, leave for Coorascant we will. Lead us to the Sith's lair Obi-Wan will."  
  
"We had better prepare a team of additional Jedi," Mace said. "We may have to take that place by force."  
  
"Most likely. The people there are conditioned to hate Jedi. Don't expect them to just open the door for you. And don't expect them to show you mercy." Obi-Wan said. A feeling of excitement rushed over him, he felt like he was a part of the Jedi again.  
  
"Fellow Jedi, I recommend you meditate tonight." Mace said. "In two days time the Jedi will have their first war with the Sith in over a thousand years." 


	13. Arrivals

Author's note: Is anyone still reading? Please leave me a review if you are so I know whether or not to continue this story. Thank you.  
  
CHAPTER 13: ARRIVALS  
  
A large airship negotiated it's way through the packed airlanes in a seedy piece of Courascant. The ship was a troop transport, on loan from the Senate's security offices. It was designed to transport several-dozen officers. Today, it transported, several dozen Jedi. Any Jedi that was fit for fighting, had been summoned to this task of infiltrating the Sith lair.  
  
The ship's design was so basic, it suggested that it had been mass- produced rather than carefully crafted. The inside was just a hollow shell with two long benches that ran along the sides, and a loading ramp in the rear. The cockpit was nothing more than two un-padded seats in front of the controls. Obi-Wan was giving directions to Garen Muln who was flying the lumbering beast.  
  
Garen and Obi-Wan used to be friends when they were both students at the Temple. They had both been pleased to see each other this morning. After Obi-Wan had left the Jedi, Garen had exercised his piloting skills and was now helping develop a Jedi starfighter fleet.  
  
Garen controlled the unfamiliar ship with great ease, he was an excellent pilot. Obi-Wan's voice echoing inside of the huge innards of the mechanical beast, was the only sound that could be heard, everyone else was silent. They were preparing mentally for the task to come. Qui-Gon Jinn was among the silent crowd, he was lost in his thoughts.  
  
The Jedi left Naboo shortly after Sypho-Dias' funeral. The Queen had a tearful good-bye with both Obi-Wan and Anakin; Qui-Gon could tell she had feelings for both. Xanatos and Siri managed to sneak off together before departure. To where? Qui-Gon didn't know. He had decided not to get involved. He wished he could tell Master Yoda about his lack of involvement, seeing as how Master Yoda had called him a "meddler," but Qui- Gon felt if he told Yoda about it, that in it's own way would be meddling.  
  
They had returned from Naboo late last night. Master Yoda suggested a period of rest and meditation before infiltrating the Sith Lair. All seemed to agree that was a good idea. The trip to Naboo had been emotionally draining for several of the Jedi. Qui-Gon had not slept the entire night. A great foreboding feeling prevented him from finding any rest, and he was more in touch with the living force, he could only imagine the feeling those more in touch with the unifying force had.  
  
Upon arrival at the Temple, Obi-Wan was placed in isolation, due to a strong urging by Master Windu. And Windu himself had volunteered to keep watch over him. One thing was certain, Mace Windu did not trust Obi-Wan.  
  
Anakin had been shown to his new quarters, the boy tried to hide his delight due to the severity of the other current events, but Qui-Gon couldn't blame the boy for being excited. Qui-Gon was also happy that the boy understood why he could not come along on the mission today, he had not had enough training for something so dangerous.  
  
"There." Obi-Wan said, pointing out to a building straight ahead. "That's it."  
  
Garen landed the ship a few meters away from the actual building, under Master Yoda's advisement. The large ramp lowered and everyone waited for Masters Windu and Yoda who were seated near the cockpit to lead the way. Instead, they instructed Obi-Wan to lead the way, which he did. They also instructed Garen to stay with the ship.  
  
Obi-Wan passed the rest of the Jedi on board the ship and headed for the ramp. Just before he reached the ramp, Xanatos stopped him by extending his arm so it was blocking Obi-Wan's way. Obi-Wan said nothing but gave Xanatos a curious glance.  
  
"Just in case." Xanatos said, bringing out Obi-Wan's lightsaber from beneath his robe and offering it to him. Obi-Wan took it and clipped it to his belt. "And just so there's no confusion as to who's side your on, I changed the color of your crystals from red to blue."  
  
"Thank you." Obi-Wan said with sincerity. Qui-Gon just smiled, he knew Xanatos well enough to know the gesture was his way of saying he supported Obi-Wan.  
  
The precession of some fifty Jedi, led by Obi-Wan, headed down the street toward the towering, seemingly abandoned building. They stopped at the front entrance and Obi-Wan punched a code into the keypad and the doors hissed open. The group headed inside and they took a look around.  
  
The first floor was empty but Obi-Wan assured them that was normal, he said the Sith only dwelled on the top two levels. The top level was completely dedicated to training areas and the next level down was where the quarters, hanger, dining hall and comm rooms were located.  
  
The group squeezed onto the turbolift which was surprisingly large enough to fit them all. It was an freight turbo lift and was designed for cargo, the building had obviously been some sort of warehouse. They reached the second to last level, and prepared to exit the turbolift, which emptied into the dining hall.  
  
Obi-Wan opened the doors with caution, the dining room was the main place to congregate, he expected many people in there. He slowly opened the doors and stepped into the dining hall, followed by the rest of the Jedi.  
  
"There's nothing here." Xanatos remarked.  
  
"Thank you for the observation, Xanatos. The empty room didn't tell us that, we needed you to inform us." Ki Adi Mundi said with a rare flash of sarcasm.  
  
"I knew it." Mace said with a scowl, talking to no one in particular "He led us here for nothing."  
  
"They were here I assure you." Obi-Wan said jumping to his defense.  
  
"Quit playing games Kenobi, why did you bring us here?" Mace said with a hardened tone.  
  
"My intentions were pure, they must have known we were coming." Obi- Wan offered, it was the only explanation he could think of.  
  
"How would they know that unless you tipped them off?" Mace asked.  
  
"Perhaps they realized he had left and decided to prepare." Adi Gallia suggested, trying to be fair and examine all possibilities.  
  
"Or perhaps Darth Maul returned and warned them of Obi-Wan's betrayal." Qui-Gon said, he wouldn't allow his friend to stand alone.  
  
"Impossible." Siri scoffed. "Xanatos killed Darth Maul." She said assuredly, in her mind it was absolute fact.  
  
Several of the Jedi Masters who knew the true story glared at Xanatos. They were trying to make him feel guilty and force a confession.  
  
"Well," Xanatos began and then paused.  
  
"What do you mean 'Well'?" Siri asked with fire in her eyes.  
  
"I may have embellished the story a little, there's a possibility he might have lived." Xanatos said sheepishly.  
  
Siri glared at him and many of the Jedi chuckled to themselves. Xanatos' bragging finally caught up with him.  
  
"You lied to me?-" Siri began, and then was interrupted.  
  
"Feel that, do you?" Yoda said, cautiously.  
  
"Yes." Mace answered as the Jedi all reached for their lightsabers.  
  
They all felt it, a tremor in the force. Something was warning them of danger. Before they could do anything, lazer walls activated covering all points of escape, they were trapped.  
  
"What's happening?" Siri wondered.  
  
A loud banging could be heard on the floor above. That foreboding sound echoed through the halls of the empty chamber. Obi-Wan sighed, he was the only one who knew what that sound meant.  
  
"What's that?" Mace asked, he seemed a bit startled.  
  
Obi-Wan did not shift his gaze toward any of them, he kept his eyes on the turbolift doors. He knew what it was and he tried to describe it the best way he could. He ignited his lightsaber in preparation, took a few steps toward the turbolift, and said: "Hell has been unleashed."  
  
Anakin Skywalker wandered the halls of the Jedi temple. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was grand yet gave a feeling of humility. It was in the middle of the largest city in the galaxy and yet there was an overwhelming feeling of warmth and security. Outside these gilded walls, crime ran rampant yet this mere barrier kept it all away.  
  
Anakin wasn't sure how he felt about that. The Jedi kept themselves safe, yet they shielded themselves from the problems of this city. Anakin figured that for the Jedi, this was an excusable action. They went on missions and spent most of their time right in the middle of the problems plaguing the Galaxy, the Temple was their sanctuary, but he had seen others who had contributed nothing to the galaxy hiding behind their walls.  
  
The Galaxy was filled with injustice, as a slave Anakin had learned this from early on. The rich did not share their wealth, they did not concern themselves with the problems of others. The wealthy made profits off the Poor's labor, and then justified not sharing their wealth by saying one must obtain profits though self-exertion.  
  
Anakin wondered how the Jedi obtained the money to build this Temple. Most likely, the people of the Galaxy paid for it through taxes, but Anakin didn't see this as unjust. The Jedi repaid their debt to society and then some.  
  
Such thoughts would have ordinarily bored a ten-year-old, but Anakin was already bored. Everyone he knew had left the Temple and there wasn't a whole lot to do in his quarters. The Temple was empty, he had been searching for something to do for nearly an hour and still hadn't seen anyone.  
  
He wanted to talk to Padme, but wasn't sure if she would want him to contact her. "She's probably busy." He thought, justifying his nerves with self-imposed logic. His thoughts, as they always seemed to do, drifted back to the Naboo Queen as he continued down one of the vast corridors in the Temple.  
  
Soon he saw a young Teevan boy and a young human girl heading down the same hall, toward him. The girl boldly walked right up to him and said: "Hi, I'm Darra and this is Tru. I haven't seen you around, who are you?"  
  
"Anakin Skywalker." He answered with a smile.  
  
Tru gasped, "It's him."  
  
"Who?" Darra asked.  
  
"I'm Qui-Gon Jinn's padawan." Anakin added, hoping that may clear up some confusion.  
  
"Oh," Darra said with realization on her face, "this is the kid that stopped the Trade Federation?"  
  
"Sort of." Anakin said, trying to be modest.  
  
"There you are." One of the many Temple instructors said as she walked over to the group of kids. "We were wondering where you'd run off to. Shouldn't you be in class?"  
  
"Yes." Tru and Darra said sheepishly, they had obviously snuck out.  
  
"Who's this?" The instructor asked, motioning to Anakin.  
  
"I'm Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn's padawan." Anakin answered, beaming with pride.  
  
"Oh, the boy who saved Naboo?" The instructor asked, impressed.  
  
"Apparently word travels quickly in the Temple." Anakin said with a light chuckle.  
  
"Yes, why don't you join us in class?" The instructor said, now honored she'd be teaching the "chosen one."  
  
"Alright." Anakin said with very little enthusiasm. He figured the class was boring and that's why Darra and Tru had bailed, but they were heading there and at least Anakin wouldn't have to be alone and bored.  
  
The four began to head toward the class, then suddenly Anakin stopped in his tracks.  
  
"Anakin, are you all right?" Darra said turning back to look at him.  
  
Anakin had a far off look in his eyes as he dropped to his knees. He was pale and looked as though he would pass out. Tru, Darra, and the instructor rushed to his side and knelt beside him.  
  
"Anakin, can you hear me? What's wrong?" The instructor asked.  
  
"I-I-" Anakin seemed unable to speak.  
  
"Tru get the healer." The instructor said and the boy took of faster than pod out of the starting grid.  
  
"Anakin, what's wrong?" Darra demanded.  
  
"I feel something-something's not right." Anakin tried to explain.  
  
"Is it a vision." The instructor asked curiously.  
  
"Impossible," Darra scoffed, "he's too young and he's had no training. No one this young has ever had a vision."  
  
"Anakin's a special boy." The instructor said to Darra in a whisper. "Anakin what do you see?"  
  
"Master-My Master-The rest of the Jedi - I see death-I feel cold-" Anakin said with long pauses and deep breaths between each phrase, and then before he could speak another word, he passed out in the instructor's arms. 


	14. A Broken Turbolift

CHAPTER 14: A BROKEN TURBOLIFT  
  
The ominous sound from above ceased, and a new just as terrifying sound, that of the turbo lift motors, could now be heard. Each Jedi clutched and then ignited their lightsaber. Small flashes of blue, green and even violet could be seen throughout the high-celinged dining hall.  
  
The Jedi had a look of determination in their eyes, they came expecting a battle and now, they were going to get it. As Obi-Wan said: Hell had been unleashed, and they were ready for it. No one knew quite what to expect, except Obi-Wan, he knew the extensive arsenal of Sidious and he was expecting it all.  
  
The turbolift doors shot open with a bang, and hundreds of droids poured out and began to fire their laser-cannons at the well prepared Jedi. Two types of droids were among the vast numbers. One type were the droidekas, that Qui-Gon and Xanatos had seen during the Federation's invasion of Naboo. The other type were flying seeker droids that Obi-Wan was familiar with from his time spent in the training levels above.  
  
The seeker droids were similar to probe droids in size and shape. They were small, round and fast. They were, however much deadlier than the probe droids, they were mounted with large laser cannons on either side and a stout force pikes mounted to the front and rear which they would use for ramming.  
  
The Jedi deflected the fire of the droids and tried to get close enough to strike them. Deflecting their fire back would do no good, the seeker droids were too fast and the destroyer droids had shield generators. Which meant in order to dismantle a droid one had to get dangerously close, in the case of the seeker droids this was not only dangerous, it was not easy.  
  
The task was difficult, but not impossible. Just as the Jedi started to feel confident about their chances, they heard the motors of the turbolift once more. It was ascending to the second level again, most likely to pick up reinforcements.  
  
Xanatos felt a bit of desperation at this sound, he turned to Obi-Wan who was beside him, deflecting blaster fire and asked him to validate his fears. "There's more?" He said with a sigh.  
  
"Much more." Obi-Wan responded grimly.  
  
The turbolift doors opened once more to reveal a large group of approximately fifty Kilks. Kilks were very primitive, humanoid/reptilian type beings that lived on the planet Aldoon. They were tribal as well as violent in nature. They were carnivorous and would eat anything that moved. Obi-Wan knew that Sidious used to capture and starve them so he could use them as attackers.  
  
Obi-Wan was sure the Kilks were looking to eat the Jedi and that is why they fought with such ferocity. He thought it morbid that they would have to destroy these beings when all they were trying to do was survive, but he knew that they too were trying to survive. He was sure that Sidious loved it, the Jedi having to destroy innocent beings to save themselves. Even though he himself set the trap, Obi-Wan was sure Sidious would use this as an example of Jedi hypocrisy.  
  
Each Kilk was armed a bowcaster and either a vibroblade or a vibroaxe. More fire was now erupting in the great dining hall. Kilks leapt about firing their crossbows and swinging their vibro-weapons, droidekas kept up an unrelenting pace of fire and in the air the seeker droids swarmed. The Jedi were expert fighters, yet they still felt they had their hands full.  
  
They were greatly outnumbered and each of them felt their heart sink a little when they heard one more time, the sound of the turbo lift returning to the top floor for reinforcements. The Jedi deflected more and more blaster fire. Siri was getting backed into a corner by a destroyer droid. Using her powers of the force, she ran up the wall, somersaulted over the droideka landing behind it and thrusting her lightsaber through the droid's control box before it got a chance to turn around.  
  
Qui-Gon was deflecting fire from a seeker droid when a Kilk rushed him, trying to catch him off-guard. Qui-Gon saw the attack and leapt in the air. In mid-air he cleaved the seeker in two and landed perfectly beside the Kilk. With a mighty swing of his lightsaber, Qui-Gon decapitated the Kilk, eliminating his threat, yet killing him quickly to ease his suffering.  
  
Mace fought his way next to the turbo lift doors, he was going to try to disable the turbolift before it returned. Obi-Wan noticed this and rushed to stop him. He knew it was too late. The turbolift was practically there and he was trying to prevent Mace from being caught off guard by whatever it was that was coming out.  
  
Mace plunged his lightsaber hilt-deep into the turbolift's control box. The control box sputtered and smoked. The turbo lift was disabled and judging from the sound of the distance of the motors, Obi-Wan could tell it stopped only about a foot from this floor. Mace pulled his lightsaber from the control box and turned to face Obi-Wan.  
  
Mace held up his lightsaber in a defensive stance, he figured this whole thing was an ambush set up by Obi-Wan and that Obi-Wan was now trying to attack him. The trubolift doors opened and as Obi-Wan had predicted, the turbolift platform was only about a foot higher than the floor. Mace's attention was on Obi-Wan and not the turbolift.  
  
He looked at Obi-Wan who was saying something to him which he couldn't hear over the deafening sound of blasters and the shrill shrieking of Kilks. Finally, Obi-Wan got close enough for Mace to hear him.  
  
"Look out!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, indicating to the turbolift.  
  
Mace looked in that direction, just in time to see the largest vibroaxe he'd ever seen swinging at his head. The Jedi master froze, he hadn't been expecting anything like this. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground and the giant vibroaxe had missed him by no more than an inch. He looked up to see that Obi-Wan had pulled him down, and then the realization came to him: Obi-Wan wasn't trying to attack him, he was trying to save him.  
  
There was no time for thanks as about twenty more Kilks had leapt out of the turbo lift. Mace and Obi-Wan sprang to their feet to defend themselves. Mace finally saw the wielder of the giant vibroaxe, it was a lumbering beast known as a Krixu. Krixus were related to Rancoors and Mace noticed several similarities between the two types of creatures. The two major differences were the shade of the Krixu's sickly green skin and the fact that the Krixu was a bit more intelligent, at least intelligent enough to swing a vibroaxe that someone had fashioned for him.  
  
The Kilks were able to duck under the archway of the turbolift doors in order to leap out but the Krixu was too big to accomplish this maneuver, it was trapped. 'Finally, a break!' Mace thought, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the beast crashed through the archway, forcing himself into the dining hall. Pieces of duracrete flew everywhere as the Krixu, who like the Kilks was also probably starved, burst his way through the wall. The beast was now a part of the battle.  
  
With one mighty swing of his fist, the Krixu sent a small group of Jedi, Kilks and droidekas who were fighting off to the side, flying. They hit a wall and then the Jedi sprang immediately to their feet, the Kilks took a moment to clear their head and the droids were shattered The beast couldn't differentiate whom he was supposed to be fighting for, but he was still a formidable foe for the Jedi with his large vibroaxe.  
  
It was all a bit overwhelming, but the Jedi didn't panic, Jedi never panic. They just kept fighting. Mace fought with such a ferocity that several of the starving Kilks could be seen fleeing from him; even they were not desperate enough to take on the great Mace Windu. Yoda was a blur. He leapt and twirled and flew through the air. He dispatched droids and Kilks so quickly, neither computer nor organic brain had time to register what happened, they were merely no more.  
  
Siri was the first to attack the Krixu, the girl had always been ambitious. She maneuvered around the massive vibroaxe and then leapt up and thrust her lightsaber into the beast's midsection for what she thought would be the killing blow. The Krixu just looked down at her as she hung from the hilt of her lightsaber that was still plunged into the beast's stomach. He grabbed her in his large hand and pulled. Her lightsaber came out of the mammoth beast's gut yet remained in her hand.  
  
He began to squeeze her with the intent to crush her. Siri felt the pressure increase around her body. She tried to slice his hand with her lightsaber, but she couldn't move it. It impaled the palm of his hand and the creature didn't seem to care. Siri felt his grip tighten and she could feel the pressure increase as she gasped for air. She prepared herself for death.  
  
Xanatos had been close behind her as always. He never let Siri get too far when they were in battle together and it usually annoyed her but today, she was glad for his over protectiveness. Xanatos ran at the creature and began to swing his lightsaber wildly, slicing it's legs, yet leaving no more than scratches on the thick-skinned monster. The beast grew irritated and turned his attention to Xanatos. The Krixu threw Siri aside as though his holding her was now an annoyance.  
  
Siri hit the wall hard, Xanatos was worried about her but couldn't go to her, he was busily engaged in a battle with the Krixu. The towering giant looked down on his less than formidable foe. Xanatos peered at the creature with a gaze that would ordinarily intimidate any foe, yet the Krixu's sheer size allowed it to remain constantly unintimidated.  
  
The creature took a downward swing at Xanatos with it's massive vibroaxe. Xanatos had to leap nearly ten feet in the air to avoid the mighty swing. The giant weapon hit the ground with a tremendous amount of force, sending pieces of the floor flying through the air. A piece of flying duracrete hit Xanatos in the chest causing him to crash onto his back rather than land with grace.  
  
The number of Kilks and droids was diminishing, the Jedi were winning. Several of them now turned their attention to the mighty Krixu. They pierced the creature's flesh numerous times with the scalding blades of their lightsabers, yet the beast withstood it all. Several more times, the Krixu had swung it's vibro axe, only to connect with the floor, sending large pieces of smoking debris flying through the air.  
  
Obi-Wan latched on to a seeker droid, he knew the droid's programming, he trained against them many times. He knew that if a droid was grabbed it was programmed to head higher. The droid did just that. Obi-Wan held on tightly until he was directly over the Krixu. He then let go of the droid and swung upward with his lightsaber, cleaving it into two smoking pieces.  
  
He dropped onto the creatures shoulders and began to stab it in the head with the blue blade of his lightsaber. The creature roared with pain and swung it's head violently to try and shake Obi-Wan off. Obi-Wan lost his balance and went flying smacking against the wall that Siri had hit. He landed next to her, she was still laying there, wincing in pain.  
  
"This is fun, remind me again why you left." Siri said with smirk.  
  
"Oh, how I missed your charms." Obi-wan said, returning her sarcasm.  
  
The Jedi had now defeated all the Kilks and droidikas and a handful of them were finishing off the last few seekers. The Krixu was now greatly outnumbered and with one last thrust from Mace the exhausted beast gave up the fight and crashed to the floor.  
  
The floor had been badly damaged from the Krixu's mighty swings and when the beast collapsed, so did the floor. The Jedi now lay amongst rubble and the carcasses of their fallen enemies. They each began to get to their feet and make sure everyone else got to their feet. Everyone seemed to be fine, so they began to look for an exit that would lead them back to the street where Garen and the transport were waiting for them.  
  
It was all for nothing, the Sith had expected them and moved to a different location, but there was no time to reflect on such a disappointment, they needed to get back to the temple and tend to the wounded.  
  
They found a service staircase and began to descend it. Xanatos had trouble breathing because the piece of duracrete had broken one of his ribs. He began to complain about having to descend one hundred forty seven floors.  
  
"Why can't we take the turbolift?" he said wincing in pain. He knew the reason he was just trying to give Master Windu a reason to feel sorry for him.  
  
Mace turned around and gave him a hard stare that made him stop his complaining for the rest of the trip. Obi-Wan gave a chuckle and then Mace turned to face him. Obi-Wan expected a reprimand. He expected that Mace would place the blame for the ambush squarely on him. Obi-Wan prepared for the verbal onslaught.  
  
Mace looked him in the eyes, said: "Thanks," and continued his descent down the staircase.  
  
Obi-Wan knew that Master Windu was a man of few words and even fewer compliments. He knew Mace was genuinely grateful to Obi-Wan for saving his life. Gratitude from Master Windu was rare, and very valuable to anyone in the Jedi order. Obi-Wan just took the compliment, smiled to himself and continued down the stairs. Perhaps winning the Council's acceptance wouldn't be as hard as he thought. 


	15. Trials

CHAPTER 15: TRIALS  
  
The room was small, dark and quiet. All was still, the calm before the storm. Anakin tried to ease his nerves, because he never felt more anxious in his life. He found himself in a small training room just outside of the main training arena. He was awaiting the call for his sparring match.  
  
He had sparred before. Qui-Gon had given him a crash course in lightsaber techniques, but he was still behind most of the other children. They had trained all their lives and Anakin had only trained for a few months. Qui-Gon always told Anakin how proud he was after each match. The fact that Anakin could keep up with students his age despite his lack of training proved his abilities.  
  
Anakin still felt uneasy. The fact remained, he had never won a sparring match, and despite Qui-Gon's supportive praise, Anakin couldn't help but feel inferior. He hadn't been able to win a podrace when he first started either, but this was different. No one had expected him to win a podrace, many expected him to win a saber match.  
  
It's easy to fail when you're the underdog, everyone expects you to. It also makes victory much sweeter, because you've overcome great odds. Being gifted is a much more difficult life. When you succeed, you receive little praise because your success is expected, but when you fail, it's absolutely devastating. The feeling of failure is magnified. That's what no one understood.  
  
Many envied his abilities, Anakin in turn wished he could give them away, he wished for a simple life without people placing expectations on him. The life of a gifted person, is a sad and lonely one. No one admires or understands you, they either envy your success, or chastise your failings.  
  
It had been months since his vision that never came true. Master Yoda as well as Qui-Gon tried to put it into perspective telling him that it may yet come true or that seeing death in a vision didn't always mean death. It could be 'symbolic,' what ever that meant. Anakin felt uneasy, he was just a kid, and both Qui-Gon and Yoda confessed that his powers were a heavy burden for a mere child.  
  
Anakin didn't want sympathy though, he wanted admiration. He would not fail them. He would win this match, he had to. For this match was no ordinary match, today was trials day. Trials day was an annual event at the temple. It was simply the day that padawans nominated to take the trials did just that. Activity stopped that day. Jedi returned from missions, classes were canceled, all the Jedi who could come to be spectators did.  
  
Ordinarily, Anakin would have loved this day, after all, any day without class is a good one. Today, though he was uneasy. The presence of so many Jedi meant that nearly the entire order would be watching him spar today, and as the "chosen one" all eyes would be on him. Everyone would be judging him. He must win.  
  
Obi-Wan would be among those taking the trials. This decision to allow him such an honor shocked most of the order, but whenever asked, Master Windu would merely say: "Anyone who saves the lives of two Jedi masters ought to at least be given a chance." To which, most agreed. They figured if there was too much of the dark in him he wouldn't be able to pass the trials.  
  
"Anakin, are you even listening to me?" Obi-Wan asked, snapping Anakin out of his trance.  
  
"Yes." Anakin lied.  
  
"Good. Now what do you do if he attacks low?" Obi-Wan repeated the question that previously went unanswered.  
  
"Perry, then counterattack high." Anakin answered with confidence, he knew the answer, yet he knew that executing it in battle was a completely different matter.  
  
"Alright." Obi-Wan said with assurity in his voice. "I think you're ready."  
  
"Kenobi/Skywalker, ten minutes." A mechanical voice rang over the speaker in the room.  
  
"Are you ready, Ani?" Qui-Gon who had been standing there the whole time asked.  
  
Anakin nodded even though he was unsure.  
  
"Take a moment to meditate then head out to the arena, I'll head to the coach's box." Obi-Wan stated, then headed for the door that lead to the arena. He then turned back briefly before exiting with Qui-Gon. "May the force be with you."  
  
"And with you." Anakin returned.  
  
Obi-Wan exited the tiny room, closed the door behind him and turned to Qui- Gon. "It's been so long since I've said that." Obi-Wan said with a nervous chuckle.  
  
"So, the first stage of your trials? I remember when I had to take the trials." Qui-Gon reminisced.  
  
"Has much changed?" Obi-Wan wondered, he was always interested in the history of the order.  
  
"No, it's exactly the same. We also had to pick a padawan which we would have one week to train for a sparring match. I picked Xanatos, and I was so impressed with him that I made him my apprentice." Qui-Gon chuckled to himself.  
  
"I was very impressed with Anakin, but I suppose he's already got a master." Obi-Wan said with a grin.  
  
"I appreciate you choosing Anakin. I'll admit, he's not easy to train, especially when it comes to saber techniques. He tends to get ahead of himself. You've done an amazing job, he's really come leaps and bounds. I never knew you were that good a swordsman." Qui-Gon said.  
  
"When you spend half your life with the Jedi then the other half with the Sith, you tend to learn all the tricks." Obi-Wan said, trying to think of a modest way to accept the compliment. "Besides, Anakin was a natural choice for me, were both-controversial."  
  
"To say the least." Qui-Gon chuckled.  
  
"I'd better get to the coach's box." Obi-Wan said with hesitation in his voice. Despite his cool demeanor, he was just as nervous if not more so than Anakin.  
  
"Don't worry, he'll do fine." Qui-Gon assured him, picking up on his friend's anxiety. "And so will you."  
  
Obi-Wan gave a nod and Qui-Gon headed to the stands to watch his padawan's match. Obi-Wan headed around the large, oval-shaped arena to his coaching box on the other side. From this vantage point he could call out commands to Anakin.  
  
Both padawans were summoned out into the arena. The crowd was eerily silent, it was not polite to cheer at such an event. Not only would it break concentration, it would force many to choose sides. "No sides are there. All Jedi we are." Yoda would always say to the cheering younglings who knew no better.  
  
Anakin made his way to the middle of the arena. He looked across the way to see who his opponent was. It was Irnak Dksem, a young Trovian about his age. Irnak was among the most skilled of Anakin's age group, in fact he was second only to Feris Olin.  
  
Irnak and Anakin bowed to the council who were judging the competition and seated at a long table situated in between the coach's boxes. They then bowed to their coaches, Anakin to Obi-Wan and Irnak to Siri who had also been nominated to take the trials. They then bowed to one another and ignited their training-lightsabers.  
  
The two padawans lunged at each other at the same time. They crossed blades and then each tried their most advanced maneuver. It showed their impatience and immaturity, they each used their best move first to try and score points early when it would have been more beneficial to start with simpler moves first. It was a typical padawan mistake that would have gone unnoticed by anyone other than the keen-eyed Jedi.  
  
The two battled on, each giving it their all. The only sounds that could be heard were the clashing of lightsabers and the two padawans grunting from exertion. Of course even these sounds were drowned out by the occasional voice of Ki Adi Mundi awarding one player a point and even more prominent was the sound of the two coaches barking instructions to their students.  
  
Siri was constantly talking. She commented on every little move Irnak made. Anakin was grateful that Obi-Wan's advice wasn't overbearing. Siri was constantly offering her student advice and Obi-Wan was quiet for the most part. He only spoke occasionally and in snippets like: "Watch your footwork." Small things Anakin could focus on and gain an advantage.  
  
Qui-Gon had a seat next to Xanatos and the two old friends watched the match together.  
  
"Anakin's really improved." Xanatos whispered to Qui-Gon.  
  
"Yes, he and Obi-Wan are great together." Qui-Gon noted. "Can you feel it?"  
  
"Feel what?"  
  
"That tremor in the force when they're together. It's almost as if they're meant to be a team." Qui-Gon said beaming with pride.  
  
"Yes, I feel it. The only strange thing is that I can't feel the same when you're with them." Xanatos remarked sheepishly, he wanted to point it out to Qui-Gon but wondered if perhaps this was the wrong time.  
  
"What do you mean?" Qui-Gon said raising his voice so that many of the other spectators were now looking at them.  
  
"Nothing, old friend." Xanatos said turning his attention back to the match. "Merely an observation. I meant nothing by it."  
  
Qui-Gon felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Xanatos was right. Was the force trying to tell them something? Was Obi-Wan meant to train Anakin? He would have to meditate on this.  
  
Meanwhile the match had ended and Anakin had won by a mere two points. The boy beamed with pride and Obi-Wan did too. Anakin had won his first match and he had helped.  
  
Anakin felt grateful to Obi-Wan, as well. At first he didn't trust this rather intimidating looking man but the more Anakin got to know him, the more he realized that despite all his flaws, there was a good man inside Obi-Wan Kenobi, a just man who for a moment had his sense of justice skewed.  
  
Obi-Wan was able to put things in a way that Anakin understood them. Qui- Gon was of course a wonderful teacher but often Qui-Gon got too deeply in to how to use your feelings in a lightsaber duel. Obi-Wan explained things in a more methodical way that was better suited for Anakin's mechanical mind. It was as if Obi-Wan broke the steps down and made using a lightsaber as easy as using a hydrospanner.  
  
Obi-Wan felt a bit of satisfaction at Anakin's win and then that was replaced with a feeling of unease. He still had a long way to go with the trials. Siri went out into the arena to reassure Irnak.  
  
"I'm sorry, I lost. I tried my best." The Trovian said hanging his furry head.  
  
"That's all anyone can ask of you." Siri said with kindness in her voice. "Just because Anakin outscored you does not mean you lost, nor does it mean I will not pass the trials. You improved your skills greatly this last week and that's what this was all about."  
  
The young Trovian smiled and headed back to the freshener to change into a fresh tunic and then join the spectators. Anakin turned to see Obi-Wan kneeling beside him.  
  
"There is much strength in you young Skywalker, but there is also weakness. You must learn to embrace your weaknesses or you'll never appreciate your strengths. Remember, the man who doesn't seek power is the one who is most able to harness it." Obi-Wan said, touching Anakin on the shoulder.  
  
"Thank you." Anakin said lamely. He didn't know how to respond, the words Obi-Wan spoke were beautiful and wise beyond his years. In that moment, Anakin as well as the rest of the arena saw not the creepy guy who walks the temple's halls but rather a wise Jedi Master.  
  
Anakin then turned and followed Irnak to the freshener and Obi-Wan turned and followed Siri to face the rest of the trials.  
  
**  
  
Later that day Obi-Wan sat alone in the room of a thousand fountains. He was preparing himself mentally for the task ahead. He had passed all the other trials, the training of a padawan, the individual sparring session with several practice droids and of course the teamwork session where everyone nominated must work as a team to accomplish some task.  
  
All that was left was the cave. No one knew quite what the cave was. It was located in an isolated room of the temple that was kept locked to keep out curious padawans. Everyone who had taken the trials previously knew what the cave was but none would speak of what went on inside. All they would say to the padawans is that the cave is strong with the darkside of the force and that your worst fear lives inside.  
  
Obi-Wan didn't know what to expect and that made it all the more terrifying. He sat on a rock letting the artificial light warm his face when his peace was interrupted by a familiar voice.  
  
"So, Oafy-Wan, I hear they're letting you take the trials." Bruck Chun stated, with a sneer.  
  
"Good, then your hearing is fine." Obi-Wan said sarcastically.  
  
"I guess they'll let anyone take the trials nowadays." Bruck scoffed.  
  
"Yet they won't let you. What's that tell you?" Obi-Wan said in a calm tone.  
  
"You're gonna fail. You may have been able to pass all the previous trials, but the cave is the toughest. You're lightsaber won't save you in there." Bruck mocked.  
  
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Obi-Wan asked, now rising from his medative stance to face Bruck.  
  
"Like whoop you in a lightsaber duel?" Buck declared in his most challenging tone.  
  
"Whoop me?" Obi-Wan mocked. "Why don't you challenge me when you grow up?" Obi-Wan said, walking towards the door.  
  
"One day I'll be the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy Obi-Wan!" Bruck shouted at him as he walked away. "I won't let them shun me! You and I will duel again and we'll finish what we started twelve years ago!"  
  
"I look forward to it. Only then you won't be able to go to the medics and rat me out." Obi-Wan declared and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
'I shouldn't have said that.' Obi-Wan thought. 'I need to let go of the darkness.' The anger had left Obi-Wan but the tempting call of the darkside still remained. He could hear the heavy voice in his head: 'You could end it. You have the power. Take him out, be rid of his annoyance forever.'  
  
"No!" Obi-Wan said to himself, grabbing his head with both hands. "I did not battle with you all these years only to let you drag me down again for the likes of Bruck Chun!"  
  
"Obi-Wan? Who are you talking to?" Qui-Gon appeared, and asked with concern in his voice.  
  
"No one. No one." Obi-Wan said composing himself.  
  
"They're waiting for you. It's your turn at the cave." Qui-Gon said, still concerned.  
  
"Let's go." Obi-Wan said, and the two headed down the hall. "I'm ready." The truth is, he was. He didn't know what the cave would throw at him, all he knew was that his worst fears had already been realized. This came with the realization that the darkside had not left him. His battle with the darkside would never be over, he'd never be fully rid of the monster within. 


	16. Three's a Charm

CHAPTER 16: THREE'S A CHARM  
  
Qui-Gon led the way down the hall to the room that contained the cave. Obi-Wan seemed to drag his feet. His conversation with Bruck was on his mind. He replayed it in his mind dozens of times and each time he thought of something he should have said differently. He chided himself, he must put it out of his mind and focus on the task at hand.  
  
"Hey, are you all right?" Qui-Gon asked, noticing his friend's uneasy feeling.  
  
"Yes, quite. Just nervous, is all." Obi-Wan answered.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded and the two continued to walk. They turned a corner and saw a large group of Jedi gathered around the door of the room containing the cave. Siri was emerging from the room with a melancholy look on her face. Yoda followed her out and shut the door behind her. Mace gave Yoda an inquisitive glance. Yoda nodded, signifying she passed, she was strong enough in the force to face her demons.  
  
Each of the Jedi standing around offered their congratulations. Siri didn't crack a smile, she still seemed startled by what she had seen. The Jedi masters gave her sympathetic looks as if they knew what she had been through.  
  
"Well, Obi-Wan, are you ready?" Mace asked and the sea of Jedi seemed to part to make way for him.  
  
"Sure." Obi-Wan said putting on a fake mask of courage.  
  
He made his way to the door, which Mace opened for him. He stepped inside and Yoda followed. The door shut behind them and Obi-Wan saw nothing in the room but a large, hollow duracrete slab with a hole in front in the corner of the room.  
  
Obi-Wan shot Yoda a "that's it?" glance.  
  
"Know you better than any one that matter appearances do not." Yoda said, as if reading his mind. "In you must go."  
  
"Alright." Obi-Wan said. The fear he felt before was now all but gone, he now felt a surge of confidence as he headed toward the completely unintimidating "cave." His lack of fear for the cave would diminish once inside.  
  
**  
  
Siri Tachi sat alone in the room of a thousand fountains by herself. She sat near the lake and the rock wall, located in the back corner of the room, for this was her spot. She was reflecting on the task she just completed. She had passed the trials and in a matter of hours she would officially be named a Jedi Knight. By tomorrow, her padawan braid would be cut off by her master Adi Gallia. She should be proud.  
  
She was proud, but she didn't feel like celebrating. Her vision in the cave had shaken her so deeply, she wasn't sure how to feel. She knew it wasn't real, she knew it was nothing more than an overwhelming vision, but it seemed real. What frightened her the most was not that it felt like it was happening but rather the fear that it could happen.  
  
From what she had been told, while the visions projected in the cave are often startling in their own right they are not meant to leave the beholder with fear, but rather to startle them into understanding something about themselves.  
  
Her vision was eerie, she remembered it vividly, Xanatos was in pain, and no matter what she did she could not ease his suffering. But what did it mean? Did it mean that her feelings for Xanatos would eventually bring him pain? Did it mean their relationship would lead him to the darkside? The vision was supposed to make her understand, instead it just confused her more.  
  
"Hello, Siri." A familiar voice said, breaking her thought. Siri turned with a start to see Bruck Chun standing over her. "What's the matter?" The intruder inquired. "Didn't you notice me in here?"  
  
"No, I suppose I didn't." Siri said in an apologetic manner as she stood to face him.  
  
"Well, I always notice you." Bruck said, now stepping uncomfortably close to her. "No matter where you are, I've always got my eye on you."  
  
"What did you say?" Siri said taking a large step back.  
  
"What is it your hiding Siri Tachi? What is it you think about as you cry yourself to sleep at night? Why are you so ashamed?" Bruck asked softly and once again closed the gap between them.  
  
"I have no idea what your talking about." Siri, declared and took another step back into water. Bruck had cornered her between the rock-wall and the lake.  
  
"Of course you do. Your dreams have been dark lately." Bruck said, taking another step toward her.  
  
"What would you know of my dreams?" Siri said now trying to stick up to him in her emotional state.  
  
"Like I said, I've always got my eye on you." He said with a smile that made her shudder. "It's hard to keep up a mental block while your sleeping isn't it." At that comment Siri felt like she was going to vomit, he had actually watched her sleep.  
  
"I know your nightmares and I know your dreams, and I know that Xanatos could never make your dreams come true. But I could." Bruck continued as he leaned in to kiss Siri, only to be slapped across the face. "There is much fire in you Siri-I like that in a woman."  
  
Bruck reached out to grab her by the arms, Siri was ready to fight him off when they heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Siri?" Xanatos was calling. "Are you in here?" At the sound of Xanatos' voice, Bruck immediately backed away from Siri.  
  
"Over here." Siri called, relived he had come to her aid.  
  
"Oh, there you are." Xanatos said finally getting into the corner of the room they were in. "I've been looking all over for you. - - Bruck? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Xanatos!" Bruck declared with fake enthusiasm but genuine surprise. "Why Siri and I were just talking about you."  
  
"Were you?" Xanatos gave Siri an inquisitive glance.  
  
"Among other things." She said giving Bruck an icy stare.  
  
"Well I'd better leave you two alone." Bruck declared and then practically ran from the room.  
  
"What was that about?" Xanatos wondered.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him." Siri said in an authoritative tone.  
  
"You know I like that your independent and all but you could let me be the tough-guy every now and then. After all I am the guy and while I know that women can be equally tough I'm afraid I am coming off as a bit of a priss." Xanatos said in his usual joking manner.  
  
"You're not a priss." Siri said, smiling for the first time in hours. Xanatos could always cheer her up.  
  
"Well, I know I'm not, and you know I'm not, but beings are starting to talk." Xanatos said, moving closer to her.  
  
"Let them talk." Siri said, embracing him in a deep kiss.  
  
**  
  
Anakin and Qui-Gon stood outside the cave room, along with several other Jedi, awaiting Obi-Wan's completion. Obi-Wan was the last one to take the trial and ordinarily the crowd would have dispersed a great deal but this year the crowd was as large as it was for the first padawan.  
  
All were anxious to see if Obi-Wan would pass. Qui-Gon was the most anxious, but as a veteran Jedi Master he had learned a great deal of patience. Time neither went fast nor slow for him, it just was. For Anakin Skywalker on the other hand, time went slower than a bantha after feeding.  
  
"How much longer?" Anakin whispered to Qui-Gon.  
  
"Patience, padawan. No one knows how long it will take. The experience is different for each being." Qui-Gon explained.  
  
"Well I hope Obi-Wan's is on the short side." Anakin said after a long sigh.  
  
The crowd was talking quietly amongst itself. Qui-Gon wanted to speak to Anakin and he figured now was as good a time as any. He crouched down until he was eye to eye with the boy.  
  
"Anakin, you like Obi-Wan, right?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
"Yeah." The boy said with no hesitation. "Even though he's taking a long time. Still, I won't hold that against him."  
  
Qui-Gon chuckled at that last remark. "No, Ani. I mean you get along with him, right? During this last week when he gave you some saber pointers, did you enjoy your time together?"  
  
"Sure, Obi-Wan's a lot of fun. At first I thought he was creepy, but now he's alright. He's kind of like a big brother or a close neighbor or something." Anakin said, not quite sure how to describe him.  
  
"How would you like it if he were your master?" Qui-Gon inquired, getting right to the point.  
  
"You don't want me anymore?!" The boy asked, appalled.  
  
"No, of course I do." Qui-Gon reassured. "What I meant was: do you think Obi-Wan would make a good master?" It's not what he had meant, but he hadn't expected the boy to take it so harshly.  
  
"Oh. Well, I guess so." The boy said obviously buying the cover-up.  
  
"Me too." Qui-Gon said.  
  
Before another word was spoken between them, Obi-Wan emerged from the room followed by Yoda. The crowd went silent and watched Master Yoda in anticipation of his answer. Mace once again looked at Yoda inquisitively, and once again Yoda nodded.  
  
It was a rare sight to see an outburst from Jedi Knights, yet in this instance, many let out a small gasp, which for a Jedi was quite an outburst. Nearly all of the beings crowded in the hallway, began to congratulate him. Finally, Qui-Gon and Anakin made their way to the front of the crowd and offered their congratulations.  
  
"What did you see?" A curious Anakin asked.  
  
"I have not the heart to tell you young one." Obi-Wan said with a somber look on his face.  
  
"Oh, please?" Anakin begged.  
  
"I'll tell you what I saw, after you take the trials and tell me what you saw." Obi-Wan offered.  
  
"Alright." Anakin said with disappointment in his voice. Sometimes it was hard being young.  
  
The crowd dispersed and went their separate ways Obi-Wan and Anakin decided to go get something to eat and Mace and Yoda headed off to take care of arrangements for the knighting ceremony this evening. Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan and Anakin he'd meet them in the dining hall later and hurried to catch up to Mace and Yoda.  
  
The two Jedi masters noticed Qui-Gon trying to catch up so they turned and waited for him to do so. The three then headed down the hall together at a slow pace so Yoda could keep up.  
  
"You need to speak with us Qui-Gon?" Mace asked getting right to the point.  
  
"I have a favor to ask of you." Qui-Gon explained.  
  
"Skywalker is your apprentice and Kenobi is about to be knighted. I believe you've used up your allotment of favors for the next millennia." Mace said in his usual dry tone.  
  
"Not a favor but rather a question." Qui-Gon corrected.  
  
"Two very different things those are, Qui-Gon. Make sure asking the right one you are." Yoda said.  
  
"What is to become of Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon said, getting right to the point.  
  
Yoda sighed deeply, he knew Qui-Gon too well. "Have something in mind you do. A favor it is after all."  
  
"Lately I've had these strange feelings around him and Anakin." Qui-Gon got right to the point.  
  
"Like they're meant to be a team. We too, have had similar feelings." Mace confessed.  
  
"Then you know what I would ask?" Qui-Gon wondered.  
  
"Wiling to give up your padawan are you?" Yoda asked.  
  
"If it's what's best for him." Qui-Gon said, boldly.  
  
"Two ways does an apprenticeship go. If master is willing to break the tie, apprentice too must also be willing. A promise to him you made. Willing to break this bond is your apprentice?" Yoda asked although he knew the answer.  
  
"I don't know." Qui-Gon confessed.  
  
"I'll be honest with you Qui-Gon, while I'm grateful to Obi-Wan for saving my life I still don't know if we can trust him with an apprentice. This is an odd situation there's no precedence for it." Mace added.  
  
"What shall we do then? Ignore the urgings of the force?" Qui-Gon wondered.  
  
"Thought about this for a while we did. When scheduled to take the trials, Kenobi was, plans did we begin to form in case pass he did." Yoda admitted.  
  
"What did you decide?" Qui-Gon wondered eagerly.  
  
"We had been thinking for many years of switching to a system where our Jedi teams would be threes instead of twos. A master, a knight and a padawan. We thought this would be a very efficient system, the padawan would be able to learn from two sources and if needed the knight could split from the group to investigate an aspect of a mission further." Mace explained.  
  
"Turn down this idea we did. Limited our numbers are. Less missions it would mean." Yoda chimed in.  
  
"So when we thought of what to do with Obi-Wan we thought of this system. He wouldn't be alone, so a master could keep him in check, and he'd have the benefits of being part of a team, it seemed ideal." Mace continued.  
  
"So the council decided to place Obi-Wan with a master/padawan team in order to form an experimental team of three?" Qui-Gon wondered.  
  
"Yes. A team Master Windu and I were to decide on." Yoda said.  
  
"With these feelings we are having we think perhaps Obi-Wan should team with you and Anakin if you'll accept him." Mace said.  
  
"Well I'll have to check with him and Anakin but I think it's a great idea." Qui-Gon confessed.  
  
"Thought you would did we." Yoda said with a slight grin  
  
"Thank you, Masters." Qui-Gon said and then headed down the hallway down toward the dining hall to talk with Anakin and Obi-Wan. Mace looked toward Yoda as their companion walked away.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Mace asked with doubt in his voice.  
  
"A good feeling about this I have." Yoda said with a smile.  
  
***  
  
Qui-Gon walked into the dining hall to see Obi-Wan and Anakin sitting among a large group of beings. They were talking and laughing and having a good time. Qui-Gon walked over to their table.  
  
"Hey, there you are. We got you a cup of muja tea, just in case they ran out before you got back." Obi-Wan said, handing Qui-Gon a cup.  
  
"Thank you." Qui-Gon said, taking the cup. "Can I talk to you and Anakin?"  
  
"Sure." Obi-Wan said. "Could you guys give us a minute?" At his request everyone else at the table moved to another table, and Qui-Gon took a seat.  
  
"What's wrong?" Anakin asked.  
  
"Nothing. I was just wondering what you guys would say to the three of us being a team." Qui-Gon said with a smile.  
  
"Well, I'm pretty good but last I checked, you need six people for a blachha-ball team." Obi-Wan said jokingly.  
  
"No, not a blachha-ball team." Qui-Gon said with a chuckle.  
  
"Would you mind explaining or is this one of those things we'll be wondering about for a while." Obi-Wan asked.  
  
Qui-Gon explained the situation and Anakin and Obi-Wan enthusiastically agreed. The three made a pact to be a team. Why not? The rest of the order was watching them anyway. 


End file.
